Sex and the City 2 arrives in the international marketplace this weekend, opening in an initial 20 markets two years after the launch of its internationally powerful predecessor. Competition will come from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which expands to 30 more markets after launching in 19 last week.

The Sexand the City sequel, from Warner Bros Pictures International, arrives in Germany and Holland on Thursday (May 27) and in Italy, the UK and Brazil on Friday (May 28).

The romantic comedy, which reunites stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon with writer-director Michael Patrick King, could be set to sparkle in the global marketplace. The summer 2008 original grossed $262.6m internationally, representing 63% of its worldwide total of $415.3m.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (WDSMPI), has so far grossed $28.3m from the 19 international territories in which it opened (a week ahead of its domestic launch) last weekend. It expanded into France on Wednesday and hits Australia, Korea and Russia on Thursday and China, Japan and Mexico on Friday.

Sex and Prince will also be competing head-to-head in North America, where both films open over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Disney will be hoping that Prince gives it another big global hit after the success of Alice in Wonderland. The studio said this week that Alice has now grossed $668.7m internationally and $332.4m domestically, for a global total of $1.1bn.

The Tim Burton fantasy becomes Disney’s biggest international performer ever and its second biggest global performer (after the second Pirates of the Carribean film Dead Man’s Chest).

A handful of other releases open in new international markets this weekend.

Paramount/PPI opens UK hit Street Dance 3D in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday and Fish Tank in Australia on the same day. The company reports international totals after last weekend of $260.8m for Iron Man 2 and $234.9m for How To Train Your Dragon.

Fox International releases Gentlemen Broncos in Germany on Thursday and South Africa on Friday; My Name is Khan (with an international total, including non-Fox territories, of $34.2m) in France and Belgium on Wednesday and Spain on Friday; and Tooth Fairy (international total $47.1m) in the UK on May 28.

Fox opens Marmaduke in Mexico and other Latin American markets on Friday, a week ahead of the family comedy’s domestic launch.

Universal/UPI opens Repo Men in Australia on Thursday and The Green Zone (international total $38.6m) in South Africa on Friday.

Sony Pictures Releasing International opens Legion (international total $23m) in Spain on Friday and, on the same day, The Last Station in Italy.

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