French comedy Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis enjoyed its second weekend at number one in Screen's International Box Office chart, taking an impressive $29.8m from three territories while keeping new entry 10,000 B.C. at bay.
The top 40 international films generated $181.2m from 44,130 screens for the period of March 7-9.
For the full chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.
Ch'tis fell a mere 8% over the three-day period and played on 905 screens for a whopping $32,916 screen average, the highest of the weekend. The film, released through Pathe, was at number one in France, Belgium and Switzerland and has taken a mammoth $75.4m after just two weekends on release.
The Dany Boon comedy is proving to be one of the highest grossing French films of the new millennium in the territory - it trails just behind 2006's hit Les Bronzes 3: Amis Pour La Vie ($76.7m) and has already beaten 2002's top film Asterix Et Obleix: Mission Cleopatra.
A further four French titles helped the territory see its product account for 20% of the top 40 revenue this weekend. Pathe's Asterix At The Olympic Games fell 50% in its seventh weekend with a $3.2m take but stayed within the top 20. The fantasy adventure has taken nearly $123.5m to date from 26 territories.
New entry Female Agents, starring Sophie Marceau, generated $2.2m over the weekend, putting it at number 25 on the chart. The espionage drama, directed by Jean-Paul Salome (Bonne Nuit), played on 510 screens in France and Belgium for a $4,220 screen average. It has taken $2.2m including previews and is released through Cineart in Belgium and TFM Distribution in France.
Studio Canal's romantic comedy Paris fell 47% with a $1.6m take from 515 screens for a $3,058 screen average. It has grossed $12.1m after three weekends on release. And Europa's Taken still remains in the top 40 in its second weekend despite a 32% dip. The action thriller, written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, enjoyed a $1.4m take and has generated nearly $4m to date in France.
Italian film Grande, Grosso E Verdone was the highest non-US entry this weekend with a $8.5m take. The comedy, released through FilmAuro, played on 703 screens in Italy and boasted a $12,089 screen average, the third highest of the weekend. The film is directed by Carlo Verdone whose 2006 comedy My Best Enemy took $23.5m at the Italian box office.
Three Japanese films generated more than $9m over the weekend, spearheaded by the latest instalment of the Doraemon franchise which opened at number seven with a $5m take. Doraemon: Nobita To Midori No Kyojinten played on 344 in its home territory for a colossal $14,686 screen average. It is distributed by Toho and is based on the Japanese manga series by Fujiko F Fujio.
Toho had another manga-based hit with Eiga: Kurosagi, which opened to $2.8m at the weekend. The film, directed by Yasuharu Ishii, played on 315 screens in Japan for an $8,980 screen average.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros release L: Change The World fell 56% with a $1.2m take. It has generated $32.1m from five territories after five weekends on release.
Chinese-language film An Empress And The Warriors opened within the top 30 with a $2.1m take this weekend. The action drama, directed by Tony Siu-Tung Ching played across 645 screens for a $3,318 screen average and boasts a $2.6m tally, including previews. It stars a top Asian cast including Donnie Yen, Leon Lai and Kelly Chen and is released through Mei Ah Entertainment.
Turkish comedy Recep Ividek is still fighting strong in the international arena - the film took $2.5m in its third weekend, falling 43%. It played across just 233 screens in Turkey for a strong $10,573 screen average and has generated $18.4m to date.
Elsewhere, Roland Emmerich's 10,000 B.C. was the only new entry from the US in this weekend's international chart. The prehistoric epic, distributed by Warner Bros, came in at number two with a hefty $25.2m take from 3,617 screens in 20 territories.
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