Afterlife goes on at international box office

Among other international releases, Eat Pray Love and Despicable Me opened strongly in Brazil and Germany respectively while Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole made fair starts in their new markets.

Sci-fi horror sequel Afterlife grossed an estimated $9.5m from 3,850 screens in the 47 markets where it is distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI), for a Sony total so far of $149.4m. The weekend tally was $15m with non-Sony markets included.

The fourth Resident Evil installment had no new market openings but stayed remarkably strong in Japan, where in its fourth week it was up 6% to $3m from 660 screens, for a territory total to date of $45.7m. The film stayed top for a third week in Mexico with $1.2m from 661 screens, for a territory total of $9.1m.

SPRI’s Eat Pray Love took an estimated $13.4m from 3,450 screens in 32 markets over the weekend, for an international total to date of $39.5m.

The book adaptation opened top in Brazil with $2m from 237 screens, the biggest ever opening for a Julia Roberts film in the market and twice as big a debut as the star’s Erin Brockovich.

Eat Pray opened at number two in Korea with $1.5m from 277 screens, and top in Taiwan with $480,000 from 44 screens. And it held up well in Germany, where it was down just 20% to $2m from 520 screens (for a market total of $6m); the UK, where it was off 31% to $1.2m from 427 screens (market total - $4.4m); and France, where it slid 35% to $1.2m from 306 screens (market total - $3.6m).

Universal/UPI’s Despicable Me grossed an estimated $12.4m from 2,546 dates in 43 territories, raising its international total to $114.9m.

The animated comedy opened top in Germany with $5.5m from 684 dates (including previews), a 32% share of the market and more than 5% ahead of both Up and Wall-E, according to Universal. Other number one openings came in Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and South Africa.

The film was top for a fourth week in Australia, jumping 25% from last weekend with $2.7m from 401 dates, for a market total of $16.5m, Universal’s biggest in Australia this year.

Fox International’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps took an estimated $10.1m from 2,740 screens in 55 markets over its second weekend on international release, for an international total to date of $22.3m.

The sequel started in second place in France with $2.1m from 410 screens, opened in Russia with $791,000 from 223, and in Mexico with $538,000 from 344.

The release held up well over its second weekends in Australia, with $1.1m from 280 screens, and Brazil, with $508,000 from 153.

Legend Of The Guardians: the Owls of Ga’Hoole, from Warner Bros Pictures International (WBPI), came out of its second weekend in the international arena with an estimated $8.3m (representing 1.4m admissions) from over 2,700 screens in 21 markets, for an international total so far of $9.9m.

The animated adventure opened in Russia with a roughly estimated $2.3m (412,000 admissions) from 668 screens, which is expected to be enough to top the market’s box office chart. In Australia the film opened at number two with $1.65m (90,000 admissions) from 347 screens.

WBPI’s Inception passed a milestone over the weekend by grossing an estimated $8.2m (1.2m admissions) from 4,465 screens in 57 markets, for an international tally to date of $503.2m.

Over its second weekend in Italy the sci-fi thriller dropped only 27%, grossing an estimated $2.75m (341,000 admissions) from 615 screens. And the film is expected to finish its fifth weekend in China with a total for the market of $54.7m

Warner’s The Town, meanwhile, reaped an estimated $4.3m (490,000 admissions) from 991 screens in eight territories, for an international total of $13.2m. It dropped only 10% over its second weekend in the UK, with $1.4m (150,000 admissions) from 322 situations, for a local total of $4.1m. And it slid only 26% in Germany, with a week two gross of $538,000 (50,000 admissions) from 187 screens, for a local total of $1.5m.

The crime drama was down only 17% for its third weekend in France, with an estimated $1.3m (162,000 admissions) from 299 screens, for a $5.7m total.

The Other Guys, from SPRI, grossed an estimated $4.9m from 1,410 screens in 31 markets, bringing its international total to $22.2m. The comedy opened at number two in Russia with $1.3m from 337 screens.

SPRI’s Grown Ups added an estimated $3.6m from 1,570 in 49 markets to its international tally, which now stands at $98.7m. The ensemble comedy opened fourth in Italy with $500,000 from 204 screens.

Paramount/PPI’s The Last Airbender grossed an estimated $4.5m from 2,000 locations in 60 international markets this weekend. The thriller’s international total is now $176.4m.

DreamWorks’ Paramount-distributed Dinner for Schmucks grossed $2m from 648 locations across 17 territories, for an international total of $8.6m.

Paramount/PPI’s British drama Made in Dagenham opened in its home market with $1.1m from 354 locations, beating Tamara Drewe by 18%, said Paramount, and The Damned United by 26%.

The studio’s Tomorrow When the War Began grossed $769,000 from 280 locations in two markets, dropping only 9% over its fifth weekend in Australia. The film’s international total now stands at $11.9m.

Fox International’s Vampires Suck opened top in Spain with $1.7m from 325 screens but fifth in Brazil with $654,000 from 126. Overall, the genre spoof took $3.8m from 1,603 screens in 12 markets for an international total of $27.8m.

Also from Fox, Diary of a Wimpy Kid took $1.3m from 600 screens in four markets for a total of $8.5m. And Avatar Special Edition earned another $1.1m from 486 screens in 10 markets, pushing the original film’s international total further past $2bn.

From Fox International Productions, Khichdi took $1m to place third in its home market of India; Nosso Lar earned another $1.2m, taking its total to $18.3m and making it the biggest local project of the year in Brazil; Spanish co-production Lope grossed $310,000 from 268 screens for a total of $4.2m; and Hidalgo reaped $244,000 from 423 screens for a total in Mexico of $2.9m.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice took $3.1m from 2,486 screens in 26 territories, according to distributor Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International’s (WDSMPI), including $1.3m from China. The film’s international total with most territories now opened is $148.3m.

Toy Story 3 took another $2.3m from 2,153 sites in 24 territories over the weekend, for an international tally of $642.7m, making the film Disney’s third biggest release ever and taking it past Alice in Wonderland (also from Disney) as this year’s best global box office performer.

Universal/UPI’s Devil grossed an estimated $1.8m from 934 dates in 13 territories, raising its early international total to $9.5m. The studio’s Charlie St Cloud took an estimated $1.8m from 793 dates in 19 international markets, raising its early total to $4.2m. And The American saw its total so far for two of the sixteen territories in which Universal is releasing rise to $5.2m.