Collective takings of nine major territories saw a 10.8% increase year-on-year and generated $209m at the box office last weekend, according to Screen International's Screen Index.

Japanese box office revenue saw the biggest increase - the territory was up a whopping 50.4% compared to the same weekend of 2006, after the top six films in the chart all passed the $1m mark over a two-day period. Night At The Museum continued its international success and opened across 575 screens in the territory, generating $5.1m. Local action flick Unfair: The Movie opened across 260 screens and took $3.1m at the weekend while Doraemon 2007 and Battery held strong in their second weekends, grossing $3m and $1m at the weekend respectively. Hollywood hits also supported local success as animated adventure Happy Feet took $2.07m in its opening weekend and Deja Vu took $1.35m.

South Korea was boosted by 17.9% year-on-year largely down to a massive $5m opening from action adventure 300. While no other film crossed the $1m mark last weekend, Frank Miller's graphic novel adaptation took more than last year's top-four films collectively and 170% more than

last year's top local film Bewitching Attraction.

And North American box office benefited from the mainstream adventure. Box office increased by 11.9% as 300 continued to rock the charts and took $32.8m at the weekend bringing its domestic total to $129m after merely two weeks. Its weekend gross was up 28% from last year's fellow graphic-novel adaptation V For Vendetta which opened at number one in the same weekend of 2006. Sandra Bullock thriller Premonition entered the charts at number three last weekend, generating $17.5m while Dead Silence and I Think I Love My Wife took $7.8m and $5.6m it their opening weekends.

France was up by 14.1% in the week ending March 13 due to continued success from local hits. La Vie En Rose generated $3.5m it is fourth week, 79% more than last year's number one Underworld: Evolution. However, the Edith Piaf biopic still saturates 712 screens, more than

double Underworld's screen count in 2006. Taxi 4 - on 776 screens - took $2.4m in its fourth week, up 40% from last year's number two hit Les Bronzes 3: Pour La Vie which played on 648 screens. New local entries Counter Investigation and The Witnesses took $2.3m and $0.96m

respectively last weekend.

Italian audiences still favoured local productions helping boost the territory by 13.4% year-on-year. Ho Voglia De Te held onto the top spot and grossed $3.3m in its second weekend while Il 7 E L'8 entered the chart at number three with $1.7m. Comic-book adaptation Ghost Rider opened at number two with $1.7m and Saw III took $1m in its second week.

But Spanish box office fell by 15.3% compared to the same weekend last year. Top film Hannibal Rising took $1.7m from 325 screens but this was 20% less than last year's number one Volver.

UK box office also fell after enjoying four weeks of year-on-year comparative weekend boosts largely due to the success of cop comedy Hot Fuzz. The territory saw a 11.4% decline. Top film Norbit took $2m in its second weekend, 39% less than last year's highest grossing film The .

Pink Panther

Mexican cinemas declined by 3.2% year-on-year and Germany fell marginally by 0.7% compared to the same weekend last year.

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