An absence of big-hitting new releases explains the 22.2% week-on-week drop in the international top 40 this weekend, with all four new entrants failing to enter the top 30.
In its second week, Russian sequel The Irony Of Fate 2 was the strongest non-US performer. The second instalment of the cult comedy, from Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Day Watch), was up 61% at the weekend after expanding to Lithuania and Latvia, and took $9.2m across 912 screens. It jumped two places to number eight in its third weekend and enjoyed a $10,025 screen average, the third-highest of the weekend. Distributed through Twentieth Century Fox, it has grossed more than $35m to date.
German cinema continues to flex its muscles, with three films generating more than $8m at the weekend, accounting for 4.2% of the top 40 revenue. Til Schweiger's Keinohrhasen stole the highest screen average at the weekend at a whopping $11,422. But the rom-com fell a modest 16% to number nine with a $6.5m weekend take from 565 screens. It has $23.7m after three weekends and is released through Warner Bros.
Dodo flies in
Thilo Rothkirch's family animation Kleiner Dodo was the weekend's highest new entry, at number 31 with a $1.3m three-day gross. It played on 553 screens for a $2,360 screen average and, like Keinohrhasen, is distributed by Warner Bros.
Meanwhile, Constantin Film's Warum Manner Nicht Zuhoren Und Frauen Schlecht Einparken held firm in its sixth weekend, with a $1.1m take from 406 screens. The satire has generated nearly $12m to date.
Brazilian drama Meu Nome Nao E Johnny opened at number 34 this weekend, taking $1.1m from 103 screens in its home territory. The film, distributed through Sony Pictures Releasing International, boasted the second-highest screen average this weekend at $10,742 per screen. Directed by Mauro Lima (Deus Jr), it is based on the true story of a Brazilian cocaine dealer in the 1990s.
Korean romantic comedy Gidarida Michyeo, released through Cinema Service and directed by Ryu Seung-Jin, opened at number 35 with a $1.1m take across 248 screens in its home territory. And Polish comedy Jeszcze Raz opened to number 39 with a $966,652 take from just 118 screens in Poland, for a $8,192 screen average. It is distributed by Monolith Films.
Meanwhile, Chinese cinema continues to enjoy robust box office. Chinese civil war drama The Assembly dropped 25% but remained in the top 15 with a $3.8m take from 561 screens. The film has generated $27.5m after three weekends on release. And Media Asia's period epic The Warlords remained within the top 20 with a $2.1m take in its fourth weekend. The Jet Li starrer played across 589 screens for a $3,497 screen average. It has generated $35.3m to date.
British talent
British films also fared well this weekend - Ealing Studios production St Trinian's fell a modest 18% in its third weekend, with a near $3m take from 386 screens for a $7,611 screen average. The schoolgirl comedy, which stars a host of British talent including new Bond girl Gemma Arterton, has generated more than $15m to date in the UK alone. It is released in the territory through Entertainment Film Distributors.
And Ken Loach's It's A Free World re-entered the chart at number 32 after opening in France. It generated $1.2m and has a $2.4m international tally to date.
Elsewhere, Indian film Welcome, from Studio 18, is closing in on the $20m mark, making it actor Akshay Kumar's biggest international grosser, while Warner Bros' I Am Legend holds the top spot with a $30.5m take in its fourth weekend.
The top 40 international films generated $208.8m from 49,452 screens for the period January 4-6.
| ANALYSIS: INTERNATIONAL BOX-OFFICE - WEEKEND JANUARY 4-6 | ||||||
| (Last | 3-day | |||||
| week) | Film (origin) | gross $ | Scrs | Cume $ | Terr | |
| 1 | (1) | I Am Legend (US) | $30,510,549 | 3,492 | $167,974,516 | 33 |
| 2 | (3) | National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (US) | $20,270,920 | 4,270 | $102,081,957 | 33 |
| 3 | (2) | The Golden Compass (US-UK) | $20,176,338 | 6,154 | $233,851,042 | 49 |
| 4 | (7) | Alvin And The Chipmunks (US) | $15,826,736 | 4,201 | $63,423,418 | 46 |
| 5 | (4) | Enchanted (US) | $14,443,538 | 4,712 | $137,958,295 | 34 |
| 6 | (5) | Bee Movie (US) | $14,336,478 | 4,820 | $131,971,522 | 49 |
| 7 | (6) | Aliens Vs Predator: Requiem (US) | $12,541,885 | 3,263 | $35,436,463 | 33 |
| 8 | (10) | The Irony Of Fate 2 (Rus) | $9,153,211 | 913 | $35,099,144 | 5 |
| 9 | (8) | Keinohrhasen (Ger) | $6,453,727 | 565 | $23,743,515 | 3 |
| 10 | (25) | P.S. I Love You (US) | $5,992,614 | 982 | $11,853,575 | 8 |
| 11 | (9) | American Gangster (US) | $5,524,503 | 1,607 | $72,482,109 | 31 |
| 12 | (13) | The Assembly (Chi) | $3,830,163 | 561 | $27,455,208 | 2 |
| 13 | (11) | The Fox And The Child (Fr) | $3,816,771 | 1,094 | $17,398,208 | 6 |
| 14 | (*) | Halloween (US) | $3,049,923 | 484 | $16,891,017 | 2 |
| 15 | (17) | St Trinian's (UK) | $2,937,809 | 386 | $15,189,646 | 1 |
| 16 | (14) | Una Moglie Bellissima (It) | $2,846,495 | 498 | $29,589,994 | 2 |
| 17 | (26) | Hitman (UK-Fr-US) | $2,657,294 | 1,096 | $52,188,979 | 7 |
| 18 | (12) | Natale In Crociera (It) | $2,459,939 | 449 | $36,773,534 | 2 |
| 19 | (11) | The Warlords (HK) | $2,059,655 | 589 | $35,275,458 | 5 |
| 20 | (16) | Welcome (Ind) | $2,251,904 | 698 | $19,550,333 | 13 |
| 21 | (18) | Arn ... Knight Templar (Swe-Ger-Nor-Den-Fin-UK) | $2,016,109 | 271 | $10,637,157 | 2 |
| 22 | (36) | A Tale Of Mari And Three Puppies (Jap) | $1,951,773 | 333 | $20,836,548 | 1 |
| 23 | (24) | Eastern Promises (UK-Can-US) | $1,859,198 | 458 | $30,710,891 | 14 |
| 24 | (21) | Atonement (UK-Fr-US) | $1,770,976 | 300 | $38,481,151 | 14 |
| 25 | (43) | The Darjeeling Limited (US) | $1,754,014 | 352 | $6,452,265 | 11 |
| 26 | (22) | Elizabeth: The Golden Age (UK-Fr-US) | $1,703,578 | 770 | $44,656,316 | 29 |
| 27 | (20) | Love In The Time Of Cholera (Col-US) | $1,672,913 | 796 | $11,004,032 | 5 |
| 28 | (28) | Lions For Lambs (US) | $1,506,981 | 248 | $39,195,106 | 5 |
| 29 | (19) | Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium (US) | $1,326,863 | 1,418 | $23,603,595 | 14 |
| 30 | (23) | Taare Zameen Par (Ind) | $1,309,599 | 323 | $10,389,309 | 11 |
| 31 | New | Kleiner Dodo (Ger) | $1,305,008 | 553 | $1,458,209 | 2 |
| 32 | (*) | It's A Free World (UK-It-Ger-Sp) | $1,195,118 | 122 | $2,391,062 | 2 |
| 33 | (32) | Gone Baby Gone (US) | $1,147,315 | 164 | $5,159,193 | 5 |
| 34 | New | Meu Nome Nao E Johnny (Bra) | $1,106,412 | 103 | $1,106,412 | 1 |
| 35 | New | Gidarida Michyeo (S Kor) | $1,102,942 | 248 | $2,277,281 | 1 |
| 36 | (29) | Warum Manner Nicht Zuhoren (Ger) | $1,075,335 | 406 | $11,996,501 | 3 |
| 37 | (45) | We Own The Night (US) | $1,025,150 | 634 | $11,530,365 | 7 |
| 38 | (40) | The Kite Runner (US) | $967,507 | 203 | $2,585,762 | 2 |
| 39 | New | Jeszcze Raz (Pol) | $966,652 | 118 | $1,136,947 | 1 |
| 40 | (31) | Beowulf (US) | $927,511 | 798 | $108,766,271 | 36 |
| * Re-entry (c) Screen International, compiled by Leonard Klady | ||||||
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