In what promises to be a massive session all-round, Warner Bros deploys its new sci-fi in a major international offensive day-and-date with North America.

The question is, does Cruise still have that global star appeal? And can Warner Bros translate the film’s high critical approval rating into dollar signs?

The studio is betting on it and can take heart — internationally at least — from the spring 2013 release of Cruise starrer Oblivion, which grossed just shy of $200m outside North America, where it underperformed on $89m.

Edge Of Tomorrow, buoyed by the presence of Emily Blunt in a rare action role and the direction of Doug Liman, has grossed $41m from its first wave of releases following a somewhat muted start last weekend.

However this session delivers the big push as the sci-fi plunges into a further 36 markets, among them China, Russia and Mexico.

Early signs have been promising. The film scored Cruises’s biggest Russian opening day on Thursday (5) on $1.4m and grossed $6.7m in China.

Edge scored a $3.8m public holiday debut in South Korea on Wednesday (June 4) on 681 screens including previews and by Friday stood at $5.8m heading into the five-day weekend. The opening day produced new highs for both the studio and Cruise and set the industry’s fourth biggest launch day.

Warner Bros Pictures International top brass reported number one launches in Denmark and Norway for a combined $130,000 haul from 240 screens. The film is also scheduled to open in Australia this weekend. Godzilla meanwhile has amassed $203m.

Elsewhere, Maleficent has raced to $141.9m through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International following last session’s sensational release and expands into a handful of Eastern European markets. Captain America: The Winter Soldier stands at $454.1m and Frozen $837.2m.

X-Men: Days Of Future Past has stormed to $345.9m after two weekends through Fox International and has plenty left in the tank heading into its third session, when it opens in Spain.

There is a big test for the Shailene Woodley drama The Fault In Our Stars this weekend. The film arrives day-and-date with North America in 18 territories, among them Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

DreamWorks Animations’ How To Train Your Dragon 2 premiered out of competition in Cannes last month and gets its first taste of action one week before the North American debut when it flies into eight Middle East territories.

The Grand Budapest Hotel has reached $102.3m and checks into Japan. Amapola opens in Argentina.

Sony Pictures Releasing International launches 22 Jump Street in the UK and the Netherlands. The comedy is set to arrive in North America next week.

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