International - Tattoo drums up business

Sweden-Denmark co-production The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (aka Men Who Hate Women) debuted as the highest new entry in Screen's international chart for the post-Oscar box-office weekend.

The film reached number 13 after it opened through Nordisk in its home territories on a combined 266 screens, taking $1.8m in Sweden and $2.2m in Denmark, where it averaged a hefty $21,500 per screen.

The film, based on the international bestseller by Stieg Larsson and the first part in what has become known as The Millennium Trilogy, follows a journalist investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl some 40 years earlier. With previews included, the thriller's total gross now stands at $4.7m. Further releases are scheduled in Norway (March 13), Finland (March 27), France and Belgium (both May 13).

French comedy Cyprien made the top 20 in its first week after opening at home and in Belgium. With TF1 International distributing, the film grossed a total of $2.9m from 357 screens, an average of $8,200.

Oscar achievements significantly improved the performance of two films internationally, with Slumdog Millionaire finally reaching the number one spot after debuting in 17th position eight weeks ago (see p4). Likewise foreign-language Oscar-winner Departures enjoyed a massive 476% increase on weekend takings, jumping 41 places to 17th position (see p23).

Warner Bros' Gran Torino also enjoyed a sizeable rise in takings, adding $10m to its tally over the February 27-March 1 weekend. It opened in six new markets including France, where it took the top spot with $5m on 424 screens, a local record for a Clint Eastwood film. In the UK it expanded wide to reach second place in the market, grossing $1.9m from 303 screens. Gran Torino opens in six more territories this coming weekend, including Germany and Spain, with further releases through March and April. It has taken $18.7m to date in international markets to add to a $139m domestic haul.