Chinese heavy-hitter The Warlords was this weekend's highest non-US entry to the international chart, helping boost the top 40 revenue by 17.3% week-on-week.

The top 40 international films generated $169.7m from 43,384 screens for the period of December 14-16.

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

The period epic, directed by Peter Ho-sun Chan (Perhaps Love, Three), opened to number five at the weekend with a $12.5m take, for a $14.4m total including previews.

The film, starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro, played across 1,269 screens in five territories for a $9,820 screen average. It opened to number one in Hong Kong, Singapore and China, where it became the biggest domestic opener of 2007. It is released through Media Asia.

Italian cinema continues its lucrative stride - two new entries from the territory catapulted into the top ten taking a collective $10.8m and representing 6.4% of the top 40 revenue.

Fausto Brizzi's newest instalment of the Natale franchise, Natale In Crociera, was at number seven with a $6.2m take across two territories. The comedy, which reunites Brizzi with local favourite Christian Di Sica, played across 584 screens and boasted the weekend's highest screen average at $10,640. It is distributed by FilmAuro.

Medusa Film's Una Moglie Bellissima was at number eight with a $4.6m take in its home territory. The romance, starring Leonardo Pieraccioni (Suddenly Paradise), played across 513 screens for a $9,020 screen average, the third highest of the weekend.

A plethora of French films graced the chart this weekend, including four new entries, of which The Fox And The Child was the highest.

The family film, released through Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International (WDSMPI), entered within the top 15 with a $3.1m take in three territories. It has generated $3.4m including previews and played across 731 screens for a $4,264 screen average. It is directed by Luc Jacquet, whose 2005 release, March Of The Penguins, took nearly $50m internationally.

Roissy Films' L'Auberge Rouge dropped 45% in its second weekend to number 21. The comedy, directed by Gerard Krawczyk (Taxi 2, 3 and 4), grossed $1.7m from 907 screens for a $1,859 screen average, It has generated $5.3m to date.

Three additional new French entries just managed to squeeze into the international chart this weekend. Family adventure Big City opened to number 35 with a $766,469 take on 390 screens for a $1,965 screen average. It is directed by Djamel Bensalah (The Race) and released through Gaumont.

Pathe Distribution's The Secret Of The Grain entered at number 38 with a $728,137 take across just 98 screens for a sizable $7,430 screen average. And ARP Selection/France 3 Cinema's Si C'Etait Lui barely made the chart with a $718,625 take over 129 screens.

Three Korean films collectively generated over $5.4m last weekend, accounting for 3.2% of the total top 40 revenue. New entry Sex Is Zero 2, directed by Je-kyoon Yoon, came in at number 11 with a $3.4m take. The slapstick comedy, released through CJ Entertainment, has taken $4.4m to date in its home territory, including previews. It played on 427 screens for a $8,054 screen average.

A second Korean entry, Venus And Mars, enjoyed a $1.3m take at the weekend, putting it at number 26. The romantic comedy, directed by Ji-seung Han (A Day), played on 360 screens in South Korea and has a $1.8m tally including previews. It is distributed by Cinema Service.

Holdover title Seven Days dropped 55% to number 36, taking $756,145 over the weekend. The crime story boasts nearly a $13.9m tally to date is released by Prime Entertainment.

Turkish film Kabadayi entered within the top 20 this weekend, with a $2.4m take from 345 screens. The action film, distributed by Fida Films, boasted a $6,935 screen average across five territories and is the third feature film from director Omer Vargi.

And Japan continues to fight hard in the international arena - Tamagocchi Doki Doki! opened within the top 30, generating $1.1m from 283 screens in its home territory. The animation is distributed by Toho.

Meanwhile, three more releases from Toho remain in the top 40. A Tale Of Marie And Three Puppies fell a modest 17% with a $2.1m take from 333 screens. The drama has a $6.6m tally after two weeks and has only been released in Japan. Sky Of Love fell 38% in its seventh week with a $775,899 take while Always: Sunset On Third Street 2 took $726,240. Both films have taken over $30m each.

Elsewhere in the chart, New Line's The Golden Compass stayed strong at number one in its second week with a near $30m weekend take while DreamWorks' Bee Movie was up 92% after expanding in 22 territories.

(Additional reporting by Silvia Wong.)

Topics