Star Trek ready to land in Japan as Angels fly to India

After a run of day-and-date launches over the first four weekends of May no new Hollywood studio film opens wide this weekend, leaving holdovers including Night at the Museum 2 and Angels & Demons to compete for the lion’s share of the international audience.

20th Century Fox International launched Night in 93 territories last weekend and opened the family adventure - whose international total stands at $60.2m - with 818 prints in China on Tuesday (May 26).

Angels, from Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI), is already playing in 99 territories - with $215.1m internationally to date - and opens on Friday (May 29) with 200 prints in India.

Disney/Pixar’s Up arrived in Russia on Thursday (May 29), the day before its North American opening. The early release is largely a counter-piracy move and, like its Disney/Pixar predecessors Ratatouille and Wall-E, the animated comedy adventure will not reach most markets until midsummer or early autumn.

This weekend’s other wide North American release, Mandate Pictures’ Drag Me To Hell (distributed domestically and in a few international markets by Universal), also opens in two international territories.

The Sam Raimi-directed horror film had Wednesday previews in the UK through Lionsgate and will appear on 410 screens over the weekend. In France it opened on Wednesday with 280 prints through Metropolitan.

Star Trek, which according to Paramount Pictures International (PPI) has amassed $87.7m since its early-May launch in 54 territories, expands into Japan, with 280 prints, on Friday.

And Fox International’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine — with $160.3m in the international bank since its 101-market launch — arrives in Mexico on Friday with 850 prints.

There are scattered openings for other studio-distributed films this weekend.

SPRI introduces Terminator Salvation to a number of smaller Asian markets, including, on Thursday, Thailand (with 200 prints) and Taiwan (with 160).

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International releases Confessions of a Shopaholic (with $59.2m from the international marketplace so far) in Japan on Saturday (May 30) and Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience ($2.5m from international so far) in Brazil and the UK on Friday.

New Line’s 17 Again ($53.2m internationally to date) opened with 281 prints in Russia through Warner Bros on Thursday.

Universal Pictures International opened Flash of Genius with 40 prints in France on Wednesday and State of Play ($19.7m international so far) with 240 prints in Australia on Thursday. The studio releases The Boat That Rocked ($18.2m international to date) with 27 prints in Spain on Friday.

PPI launched local pick-up My Year Without Sex with 25 prints in Australia on Thursday and The Uninvited (with $5.8m from international) with 100 prints in Germany on the same day. On Friday, The Uninvited spreads to Italy (with 52 prints) and Spain (with 211).

Having opened 12 Rounds ($3.7m internationally so far) with 15 prints in Germany on Thursday, Fox International introduces the film to the UK (with 315 prints) on Friday. The studio also opens Notorious ($6.2m internationally to date) with 30 prints in Spain on Friday.