Germany's Die Welle was the highest non-US entry into the international top 40 this weekend with a $3.5m take, falling just shy of the top 10.

The top 40 films generated $188.2m across 46,679 screens for the period of March 14-16.

For the full international chart, compiled by Len Klady, click here.

Die Welle, distributed by Constantin Film, played on 317 screens for a mighty $10,986 screen average, the second highest of the weekend. The film, based on Todd Strasser's novel The Wave, follows a high school teacher whose experiment on fascism spins out of control. It is directed by Dennis Gansel and stars Jurgen Vogel and Frederick Lau.

French films continue their robust run led by last weekend's top film Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis, which slipped to second place after two weekends at the top. The Dany Boon comedy fell just 14%, generating $25.6m from 970 screens for a whopping $26,434 screen average. It has grossed nearly $103.5m from only three territories to date.

New entry Mr 73, released through Gaumont Distribution, opened to number 16 with a near $2.7m take on 483 screens for a $5,489 screen average. The crime drama is the fourth feature from Olivier Marchal (Department 36) and stars Olivia Bonamy and Catherine Marchal. It follows the story of a police officer who sets out to protect a woman from her parents' killer.

Asterix At The Olympics, also released through Pathe, fell 52% over the weekend with a $1.5m take across 2,001 screens. The family adventure has generated $126.5m from 26 territories after eight weekends on release.

John-Paul Salome's Female Agents saw a 28% weekend drop, taking $1.6m from 495 screens. The espionage drama has taken more than $4m in Belgium and France after two weekends on release.

Meanwhile, Europa's thriller Taken saw a more modest drop - 11% - with a $1.3m weekend take. The film, written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, played on 350 screens for a $3,633 screen average. It has made nearly $5.6m to date.

Three Japanese titles accounted for 4% of the top 40 total revenue, led by Toho's latest instalment of the Doraemon franchise. Doraemon: Nobita To Midori No Kyojinten fell 32% with a $3.4m take in its second weekend. The animation played on 344 screens in Japan for a $9,972 screen average and is fast closing in on the $10m mark.

New entry 10 Promises To My Dog opened to number 25 this weekend with a $1.8m take. The film, distributed through Shochiku, played on just 291 screens in its home territory for a $6,229 screen average and came at number five on the Japanese chart. The drama, which follows a sort of 'ten commandments' of dog ownership, is directed by Katsuhide Motoki (Kitaro) and stars Lena Tanaka and Ryo Kase.

Toho's Eiga: Kurosagi fell 35% in its second weekend, taking more than $1.8m. The manga-based film played on 315 screens for a $5,809 screen average and has generated $7.3m to date.

Turkish comedy Recep Ividek was down just 2% this weekend after opening in Germany and Belgium. The film, distributed by Ozen Film, took $2.4m from four territories over the three-day period, generating nearly $1m from its opening weekend in Germany alone. It has grossed $21.9m after just four weekends on release.

Italian holdover title Grande, Grosso E Verdone remains in the top 10 in its second weekend with a $4.4m take in its home territory. The comedy played on 693 screens for a $6,382 screen average and boasts a $15.7m cumulative total. It is released through FilmAuro.

Elsewhere, Lionsgate's The Eye, starring Jessica Alba was up 262% in its sixth weekend after opening in Spain and Australia. The thriller took more than $1.7m from 616 screens in 10 territories. And Disney's fairytale adventure Enchanted was up a mammoth 865% in its 16th weekend after a $4.4m weekend opening in Japan. The film has generated $190.3m internationally to date.

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