The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button continued a magnificent overseas run through Warner Bros Pictures International to remain top of the Hollywood pack as it soared past the $175m mark. Its domination looks likely to end next weekend, however, when Paramount Pictures International launches the graphic novel adaptation Watchmen day-and-date in North America.

Benjamin Button added an estimated $13.4m from more than 5,140 screens for $176.2m, powered by $1.8m in both Italy and France for 11.7m after three and $17.8m after four, respectively. The picture added $1.6m in the fourth weekend in Japan for $20.7m and $1.4m in the fourth in Spain for $13.7m.

Latest figures put it on $18.2m in Germany after five, $5.6m in South
Korea after three, and $12m in the UK, $11.2m in Australia, $7.5m in
Brazil and $7.1m in Mexico.

Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino scored an excellent weekend as $8.3m from approximately 1,115 screens in ten markets raised the early running total to $17.3m. Key drivers were an extraordinary $5m number one launch in France on 424 screens that delivered a new opening record
for Eastwood.

The drama expanded wide in the UK and tied for second place in the UK
behind Slumdog Millionaire with Universal/UPI's The Unborn on a very
impressive $1.9m from 303 venues. The running total stands at $3.1m.

The Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man grossed $2.8m from 1,747 screens in 49 markets for $124.8m as Germany produced $1.3m in the second weekend for $4m.

Fox International's Tom Cruise wartime thriller Valkyrie plundered
$7.6m to raise its tally to $93.2m, $80m of which comes from Fox
markets. The key driver here was China, where the picture ranks number one on $3.6m from 800.

Elsewhere the comedy Bride Wars added $3.3m for $48.2m thanks to a
$1.7m number one launch in Russia on 484. Australia added $1.6m for
$151.3m and overtook babe to become the second biggest local title of
all time in Australia behind Crocodile Dundee and 13th in the overall
industry pantheon. Director Baz Luhrmann scored his biggest launch in
Japan thanks to $1.4m from 369 screens.

The kidnapping thriller Taken has amassed $70.1m overall while the
comedy Marley & Me stands at $24.2m and begins its European adventure next weekend when it lands in Germany, France, the Netherlands and another 13 markets.

20th Century Fox Brazil has distributed the number one picture for all
nine weekends of the year-to-date as local title Se Eu Fosse Voce 2
stayed top on $431,000 from 295 for an extraordinary $19.2m running
total. It is poised to overtake The Passion of The Christ and become
the fifth-largest release of all time in Brazil and the second-largest
Fox release behind Titanic.

20th Century Fox Brazil's Se Eu Fosse Voce 2 has been number one for
six weekends while Valkyrie has been top of the table for three
weekends this year.

Slumdog Millionaire ranked number one in the UK in its eighth weekend
as an estimated $1.3m raised the tally there to $25.4m.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International's Bolt took a
further $7.2m from 3,600 screens in 31 territories $166.5m.

The animated romp ranks third in France in its fourth weekend after
adding $2.2m from 695 for $19.4m and has now beaten the entire run of
Cars by 30% and Chicken Little by 20%. It is tracking 11% ahead of
Wall-E.

Bolt grossed $1.9m from 610 in the UK, ranking fifth in the fifth
weekend for an impressive running total of $22m. The picture stands at
$2.1m in Belgium where it has passed the entire run of Chicken Little
and has taken $2.6m in the Netherlands. There is still Japan to go on August 1.

Meanwhile Confessions Of A Shopaholic added $4.9m from 1,300 in ten
for $17.6m, boosted by a $2m number one launch in Italy on 540
screens. The romantic comedy added $1.7m from 420 in its second
weekend in the UK for $7.2m.

Bedtime Stories added $1.6m from 1,084 screens in 32 for $92.1m, while
Miramax's Doubt added $1.2m from 1,030 in 30 for $15m and Beverly Hills Chihuahua added $1m from 875 in 14 for $45.3m.

Sony Pictures Releasing International's The Pink Panther 2 added $6.8m
from 3,150 screens in 56 markets for $22.7, powered by a $2.4m number two launch in Spain on 377 and an $825,000 number two debut in Mexico on 376.

The International added $4.4m from 1,765 screens in 29 for $10.8m and
the highlight came from the UK, where the banking thriller launched in
fifth place on $1.1m from 385. Elsewhere it launched in fourth place
in South Korea on $700,000 from 152 and debuted in Russia on $450,000 from 205.

Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans stands at $29.4m after a $4.1m weekendhaul from 1,180 screens in 36 markets. The action fantasy opened in fifth or sixth place in Germany on $1.3m from 302. The Will Smith drama Seven Pounds grossed $2.1m from 1,115 screens in 52 markets for $92.2m.

Universal/UPI's horror release The Unborn took $4m from 897 dates in
14 territories for an early $11m tally, fired up by an excellent $1.9m
UK launch from 298 sites that tied with Warner Bros' Gran Torino for
second place. The horror tale opened in Australia in fourth place on
$570,000 from 123 sites and took $850,000 from 158 in its first
weekend in Italy. There are 48 territories to go.

Changeling added $2.5m from 1,137 in 43 territories for $66.7m and
launched in fifth place in Mexico on $350,000 from 197. Role Models
grossed $2.2m from 912 dates in 21 territories for $22m and debuted in
seventh place in Germany on $975,000 from 342.

Latest figures put The Tale Of Despereaux on $30.4m, Mamma Mia! on
$452.1m and $596.2m worldwide, and Coraline on $6.3m. Milk added $1.5m from 575 in 26 in the weekend after the Oscars and stands at $11m.

DreamWorks-Paramount's Hotel for Dogs grossed $4m through PPI from
2,231 venues in 31 territories for $29m, the biggest contribution
coming from the UK where the teen release added $900,000 from 433
screens for an $8m running total.

Friday The Thirteenth grossed $1.4m from 1,777 sites in 32 for $18.7m
and Revolutionary Road added $1.2m from 1,241 screens in 55
territories for $48.6m.

New Line International's romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You
grossed $3.4m from 2,146 screens from 29 territories, raising the
running total to $39.5m. To date the picture has grossed $12m in the
UK and $4.6m in Germany. Australia was the biggest performer of the
weekend and took $768,470 from 230 for $6.9m.

Topics