Transformers 2 off to strong start with $20m from two territories

Almost a week before its North American debut, the sci-fi action sequel opened with $14.1m from 517 locations in the UK and with $5.8m from 329 locations in Japan.

Distributor Paramount Pictures International (PPI) said the UK tally was 71% better than the opening take of the original Transformers, beat Spider-Man 2 by 18% and came close to the UK opening figure for The Dark Knight.

The Japanese figure was 64% bigger than The Dark Knight’s debut take in the market, said PPI, but 13% down on the original Transformers, which opened during Japan’s school holiday.

The DreamWorks/Hasbro production, which reunites director Michael Bay with stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox and a cast of giant alien robots, opens in the US and most of the rest of the world on Wednesday (June 24).

Making its international and domestic debuts this weekend, The Proposal grossed an estimated $10m from 1,490 locations in ten international markets.

International distributor Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (WDSMPI) claimed the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy, which was the weekend’s top earning film in North America, opened better (comparing the same group of territories) than romcoms including What Happens in Vegas and Bullock’s Two Weeks Notice.

In Australia, the Mandeville/Touchstone production opened at the top of the local box office chart with an estimated $3.3m from 275 screens (5% better than Two Weeks Notice, said WDSMPI, and 71% better than What Happens in Vegas).

In Russia, it was top with $2.8m from 400 screens, beating Bullock’s previous career high opening in the country by a factor of ten.

In Mexico the film generated $1.6m from 435 screens.

The weekend’s other new international entrant was Year One, from Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI), which grossed an estimated $1.6m from 191 screens in two markets.

Most of the total came from Australia, where the Jack Black/Michael Cera comedy opened in third place with an estimated $1.6m from 185 screens.

Terminator Salvation was the weekend’s biggest-grossing international holdover, taking an estimated $18.4m from 9,400 screens in 74 markets to reach the $200m international gross milestone ($17.8m of the weekend total, and $174.7m of the overall total, came from territories handled by SPRI, the rest from markets where independents are distributing).

SPRI reported that the action sequel was down 41% in its second weekend in Japan to $3.6m from 697 screens (for a total so far in the market of $19.5m). The second weekend drop in China was 49%, to an estimated $2.6m from 1,671 screens (total - $13.1m), though the film stayed top in the territory.

In France Terminator Salvation was down 51% to $1.4m from 648 screens (total - $12.3m). And in the UK it dropped 59% to $1.3m from 605 screens (total - $21m).

In its second weekend on international release The Hangover dropped only 17% to gross an estimated $11.7m (representing 1.4m admissions) from 1,900 screens in 25 markets. That brought the film’s 10-day international total to $30.4m.

Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI) reported that in spite of competition from the Transformers sequel the comedy was off only 16% in the UK, with a take of $3.8m from 424 situations (for a territory total of $12.6m).

In Australia, The Hangover was off only 7%, taking $2.6m from 227 screens (territory total - $6.4m).

Early results from Russia, said WBPI, indicated a gross of $1.1m from 342 screens (for a territory total of $3.4m, a drop of 23%.

The film opened in Italy, producing an estimated $966,000 from 292 screens. WBPI said the Italian opening was better than those for comparable films including Superbad, Road Trip and Knocked Up.

Night at the Museum 2, from 20th Century Fox International, took $10.4m from 6,500 screens in 68 markets, bringing its international total to $192.5m.

The family adventure sequel was top in Mexico for a second straight week with $1.9m from 992 screens (for a territory total so far of $6.7m). And it dropped only 28% in the UK to $1.3m from 476 screens (total - $28.2m).

SPRI’s Angels & Demons came in with an estimated $8.4m from 5,765 screens in 82 markets, for an international total to date of $329.2m.

The thriller was top in Germany over its sixth weekend, taking $1.5m from 998 screens, for a $41.8m total. In Japan, it grossed $685,000 from 366 screens (total - $31.4m), and in the UK it added $585,000 from 330 screens (total - $27.4m).

Disney/Pixar’s Up grossed an estimated $6m from 2,051 locations in 11 territories, ranking top in all, reported WDSMPI.

With an international total now standing at $38.8m, the film opened with $360,000 in Ukraine (Disney’s biggest ever opening for an animated title in the territory) and held well in Mexico, declining only 32% to $1.7m (for a territory total of $10.6m).

State of Play, from Universal Pictures International (UPI), grossed an estimated $3.4m from 1,450 dates in 44 territories and raised its international total to $35.8m. The thriller opened at number two in Germany with an estimated $1.3m from 324 dates.

UPI’s Coraline took an estimated $2.8m from 1,570 dates in 31 territories for a total of $33.2m. It opened top in Italy with $1.2m from 167 dates.

Land of the Lost, also from UPI, grossed $1.7m from 647 dates in five markets, off 46% from the take for the film’s first weekend in the international marketplace. The comedy’s early international total is $5.9m.

UPI’s Last House on the Left grossed an estimated $690,00 from 764 dates in 18 territories, for a total of $5.8m.

Drag Me To Hell is believed to have taken about $2m over the weekend. UPI, which is handling the horror outing in 14 markets, reported an estimated $700,000 from 355 dates in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, off just 36% from last week’s opening for an early total of $2.2m. And on Friday, sales company Mandate International estimated that in its territories the film would take $1.3m from 1,400 screens over the weekend, for a total of $16.8m.

PPI reported that Star Trek grossed an estimated $1.9m from 1,981 locations across 63 territories, bringing its international total to $122.2m.

Fox International’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine took an estimated $1.8m from 14 territories, pushing its international total to $182.9m.

The spin-off opened powerfully in India, ranking top of the local chart with $1.4m from 322 screens. It was Fox’s biggest opening weekend ever in India and the biggest opening for a Hollywood film in the market so far this year.

The Taking of Pelham 123, from SPRI, grossed an estimated $1.4m from 395 screens in 18 markets, for an international total so far of $5m.