Toy Story 3 trumps Inception with $62m overseas weekend

The Disney release only just claimed the number one spot ahead of Inception, which delivered a storming second weekend for Warner Bros on $56.7m. In a very strong overseas session, PPI reported a $33m haul for Shrek Forever After that boosted the impressive tally to $361m and counting.

Returning to Toy Story 3, the film set a new animation launch record in the UK on an exceptional $30.6m (£20m) including four days of paid previews that beat the previous mark set by Shrek The Third on £16.7m.

This was also the industry’s second biggest launch behind Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban on £23.9m and a new record for a Disney production, eclipsing the £13.7m debut of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Spain generated $7.9m (€6.2m) and set a new industry record for an animated title in the process, beating Shrek 2 on €6.1m.

The Pixar release is active in 43 territories and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Intentional (WDSMPI) still has 20% of the international market to come. Combined with the $379.5m North American running total, Toy Story 3 has amassed $730.5m worldwide after six weekends in release.

It currently ranks as the seventh biggest animated release in the industry and Disney’s sixth biggest animated release. It should overtake Pixar stablemate The Incredibles on $373m within the week.

While Toy Story 3 is the biggest Pixar release in North America, Finding Nemo remains Disney’s gold standard overseas on $528.2m, followed by The Lion King on $452.1m, Up on $438.3m and Ratatouille on $414.1m. Seven of Disney’s top ten international animation releases hail from Pixar.

Further treasures await Toy Story 3 as it prepares to touch down next weekend in German-speaking Europe and Portugal.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice grossed $10.3m from 21 territories to raise the early international running total to $25.3m.

Russia has generated $10.4m over 11 days and South Korea kept up the pace with a $2m number one launch. Elsewhere the film debuted in Malaysia on $1m and took $845,000 in Singapore. Next weekend it arrives in a further eight markets including Mexico, Taiwan and Scandinavia.

• Inception grossed $58.6m through Warner Bros Pictures International according to confirmed rsults isseud on Monday [26]. The film played on 5,655 screens in 38 markets this weekend and the early tally stands at $85.7m. Combined with the $142.9m North American gross for the worldwide tally after two weekends stands at $228.6m.

The sci-fi thriller launched top in Japan on $8.9m including previews from 523 screens, top in France on $8.1m including previews from 717, and debuted on $6.8m in South Korea from 447 screens.

Inception opened top in Russia on $7.1m including previews from 906 and launched at number one in Australia on $6.4m including previews from 413 for Leonardo DiCaprio’s biggest opening in the market. The UK led holdovers on $6.3m from 454 for $21.4m. The film opens also launched top in Holland on $1.3m. It arrives in Germany next week.

• Confirmed results issued on Monday reveal that DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After added $31.3m to the coffers through PPI from 6,505 sites in 44 territories. The 3D animation has taken an excellent $360m and continued to impress in Mexico and Brazil on a pair of number one holds that delivered $4.7m from 821 for $18.8m after two weekends and $4.1m from 513 for $27.3m after three, respectively. While a PPI release’s overall international gross is updated in this report, individual territory grosses are still based on estimates. 

The film added $3.2m in Germany from 897 for $19.7m after four, and $2.1m from 144 in Argentina for $10.4m after three. France added $2.3m from 967 for $30.2m, the UK $1.9m from 732 for $40.1m, Poland $1.7m from 129 for $11.2m, and Spain $1.1m from 492 for $15.6m.

Fantasy adaptation The Last Airbender grossed $4.8m from 1,280 from ten territories to bring the cumulative tally to $27.4m. The biggest of the launches came from the Philippines and Turkey, both scoring number one on $1.3m from 74 and $1.1m from 145, respectively. Russia remains the highest grossing market on $16.5m and Japan has grossed $4.3m after nine days. France, Belgium, Switzerland, Hungary, UAE and Thailand receive the film next weekend.

• Summit International’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has cast its shadow over the international arena for several weeks now and while it no longer rules the roost, the film continues to impress. It has now crossed $325m after a further $20.1m from 6,580 screens in 69 territories boosted the score to $326.4m. New Moonfinished on $413.1m overseas.

Full territory details will emerge later in the week from Summit International’s network of buyers, although it is known that the film generated $4.8m in Germany, $2.8m in France, $2.2m in the UK, $1.1m in each of Australia and Brazil, and $1m in Spain.

• Knight & Day took $15.8m through Fox International according to confirmed results issued on Monday. It played on from 5,430 screens in 60 markets and has reached $88.7m. The action comedy launched in Germany on $3.4m from 712 screens and placed top in Austria on $810,927 from 100.

In second weekend holds, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz added $1.6m in second place in Brazil for a $5.7m running total, $1.6m in second place in Australia for $5.9m and $1.3m in Spain from 497 for $4.9m. A further $698,212 in China raised the tally to $11.8m after three weekends. France and Belgium are among eight new markets next weekend.

Predators carved out a further $5.7m from 3,370 screens in 34 markets for a solid $48.1m after three weekends. The action horror added $891,718 in France from 384 for $3.7m after two weekends and launched in Brazil on $830,269 from 167. Marmaduke added $2m for $24.9m after six weekends and The A-Team stands at $60.8m and arrives in the UK and Spain next weekend.

• Universal/UPI’s Despicable Me grossed $2.9m from 1,027 sites in nine territories for an early $17.1m running total, according to confirmed results issued on Monday. Taiwan was the only new market and took $500,000 from 54 while Russia generated $1.3m from 185 for an 18-day total of $10m. Mexico receives the film next weekend. While a Universal release’s overall international gross is updated in this report, individual territory grosses are still based on estimates.   

Get Him To The Greek grossed $389,354 from 37 venues in 11 for $21.5m. The UK added $260,000 from 194 for $10.4m after five weekends. German family comedy Hanni Und Nanni, which Universal is distributing through its agreement with UFA, grossed an estimated $475,000 from 400 locations in Germany and Austria for $4m.

French acquisition Fatal added $365,213 from 222 for $8.5m after six weekends. Robin Hood stands at $204.7m and the final market will be Japan on December 10.

• The Karate Kid added $10.4m from 2,005 screens in 38 markets through Sony Pictures Releasing International to raise the tally to $58.4m. The industry running total stands at $65.4m.

The family film delivered an excellent $4.4m launch in Germany in second place from 519 screens and debuted in Holland in second place on $1.2m from 81. The film added $1.1m in its third weekend in Mexico from 653 for $10.3m and ranks third.

In other new launches, The Karate Kid opened top in German-speaking Switzerland on $755,000 from 62 and second in Belgium on $715,000 from 60.

Action thriller Saltlaunched day-and-date with North America in 17 markets and generated $5.1m from 779 screens. The lead performer was India on $1.6m from 464 and Taiwan on $1m from 104. Kuwait produced a terrific $790,000 from 42 and Hong Kong produced $775,000 from 51.

The comedy Grown Ups added $2.7m from 715 in 11 for $12.5m and opened in Mexico in second place on $1.7m. Australia has generated $9.4m after seven weekends in release.