‘Minions’, ‘Ant-Man’ Grow In Actuals; ‘Pixels’ Powered By Latin America – Intl B.O. Final
3RD UPDATE, MONDAY 3:45 PM PT: Actuals are in from the studios, with Sony’s Pixels confirmed at $21.03M, down slightly from the $21.4M projected yesterday, and performing solidly in Latin America with many markets (including China, a co-financier) still on deck. That film came in 6th overall at the international box office on Sunday, including local-language pics which continue their strong run in China. Monster Hunt, the biggest of them and the No. 1 movie overseas for the 2nd frame in a row, had a confirmed Middle Kingdom haul of $205M per media authority SAPPRFT, making it the biggest Chinese movie of all time. As for the others, Minions, which is crossing $500M today and was the biggest movie worldwide for the 3rd consecutive weekend, upped its take this frame from $44M offshore to $45.3M in 59 territories for a cume of $499.4M and a global tally of $761.8M — all before the Ilumination and Universal title hits China on September 13. Ant-Man also grew to $36M from $35.4M in the previous estimates, while Inside Out added just over $1M for a joyous $29.4M weekend. There were essentially nominal shifts for other films playing abroad, all of which have been updated below.
2ND UPDATE, 5:41 PM PT: Although it slotted a quarter into the international box office last weekend in Korea, this was the first true frame for Pixels internationally with what topped out as a $20.3M bow; $25.5M including the previous session. With an $88M reported budget and a $24M start in the U.S., Pixels will be looking to international for a boost. If Latin America holds, that’s a help. Adam Sandler performs there like almost nobody’s business on a consistent basis. Last year’s Blended nearly doubled domestic in overseas markets, the first of which was Mexico, followed by Brazil and Venezuela. Little has changed with Pixels as the same markets are leading the charge; the Mexico and Brazil openings alone this frame landed $3.7M and $3.1, respectively M. And, previous Sandler titles like Grown Ups 2 also performed in Lat Am — Jack & Jill saw Brazil pony up 20% of the gross as the biggest offshore play with more than $12M. China is still to come on this pic, which will be key.
Turning to the bulk, this week saw a drop of 14.6% across the Top 10 studio titles in the international marketplace compared to last. With China such a force in this unofficial blackout period — which a local paper referred to as the “mid-summer domestic film protection period” — numbers are pumped when
figuring in local-language movies. Comparing last week’s Top 10 to this frame’s including foreign films the difference is a 28.8% drop. Last week was the first for China’s monster Monster Hunt as well as Pancake Man. Those fell off this frame but Monster Hunt still ruled international box office in the sophomore weekend with $46M compared to its $72M debut. Also factoring in the Top 10 international movies, all-in, this week was newcomer The Assassination from Korea at $19.5M and dominating local play with about 70% of the market. More on those titles below.
Conversely, last year at this time the box office was led by three studio movies (China and Korea were not far behind with their own pics). Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes was tops with $54.8M followed by Transformers: Age Of Extinction at $37M and Hercules in its $28.7M debut.
Up this coming week is Tom Cruise. The mega-watt star revisits the worldwide box office after 2014’s Edge Of Tomorrow, a fantastic film that underperformed in some markets (though not Korea or China). Here he puts on his Ethan Hunt mask and tackles 40 offshore territories beginning Wednesday. The global launch of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is already on the go as Paramount execs travel with the movie to faraway places including the UK where an exclusive event screening took place in London on Saturday night with Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and director Christopher McQuarrie in tow.
See below for local-language notables, plus how Southpaw came out swinging…Actuals tomorrow.
1ST UPDATE, WRITETHRU, 12:08 PM PT: China has made it two in a row, grabbing bragging rights to the No. 1 international slot again as Monster Hunt landed a $46M sophomore frame. Per Rentrak, the cume on the fantasy adventure is now $211M since its July 16 debut, including in other smaller markets. The Middle Kingdom also has the No. 5 film at overseas multiplxes with Pancake Man adding $25M for a $132M total. Coming 6th, Sony’s Pixels was the newest studio kid at the international arcade this weekend, scoring $20.3M from 56 markets in the frame — its 2nd after debuting in Korea
. The studio is using The Lego Movie as a comp in the original suite of markets, calling Pixels at 39% higher. In 23 of the 56 plays, the Adam Sandler 80s video-game invasion scored a No. 1 start — especially in Latin America where Sandler roundly performs. With last week’s kick-off, the cume on the Chris Columbus-helmed title is $25.15M (more below).
The biggest studio player overseas, however, is Minions by a wide margin. Universal and Illumination’s dedicated henchmen dutifully scooped up another $45.3M in overseas green this frame. Combined with the domestic haul; the movie is No. 1 worldwide for the 3rd week in a row and could cross $500M international once the actuals roll in tomorrow. In his sophomore session, tiny Marvel superhero Ant-Man feathered his hill with a further $36M, growing the offshore cume to $121M.
See below for rundowns on the studio pics; more to come…
MINIONS
In 60 offshore territories, Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin’s Minions has now grossed $497.8M, bringing the global total to $759.4M. This frame was worth $45.3M overseas with highlights that include Peru‘s $1.9M opening at 85 dates; 72% bigger than Despicable Me 2 and the 2nd best animated opening weekend of all time behind Ice Age 4. Portugal opened No. 1 with $1.2M at 70 dates and set the record as the biggest debut frame ever for an animated film. Holds are firm including No. 1 positions in France, Belgium, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Romania and Venezuela for the 3rd session in a row. What’s more, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, Finland, Argentina and Chile have kept Minions at No. 1 for four consecutive frames. In the UK/Ireland, the origins story has grossed $57.6M and is the 10th biggest animated film of all time. This juggernaut has seven more territories to take over including Korea, Japan, Italy and China (the latter just dated for September 13).
ANT-MAN
With a further $36M in 48 overseas territories (61% of the footprint) Ant-Man now has an offshore colony of $120M. The 2nd session for the little insect with big powers had new openings in Germany and Spain, along with Scandinavia, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, India and Vietnam. In holds, UK audiences especially had their antennae tuned to Paul Rudd and his shrinking turn in the Disney/Marvel title. The territory leads international with $14.7M to date. A-M was the No. 2 movie in its sophomore outing, coming behind cousin Inside Out which just opened in the market this frame.
Latin America is also strong with Mexico ($10.5M) and Brazil ($8.4M) placing No. 2 and 4 in the rankings thus far. Across the Asia-Pacific region, Ant-Man is expected to be No. 1 in all markets except Russia, dropping just 17% in Taiwan and 31% in Hong Kong, and surpassing the 11-day cume of Guardians Of The Galaxy in both territories. In new openings, Vietnam brought Ant-Man the 7th biggest debut weekend of all time. The Peyton Reed-helmed film notably still has Italy (August 12), Korea (September 3), Japan (September 19) and China yet to conquer (unconfirmed reports put China on September 18).
INSIDE OUT
British auds jumped for Joy this weekend, finally getting a look at Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out. They shelled out $10.9M at 608 locations, marking the biggest release ever in the market in terms of venues. The start beat other recent Pixar titles including Monsters University (+36%) and Brave (+4%) going into a key holiday period for families. After just the one session, the UK is the 8th biggest market for Inside Out. In Hong Kong, the bow was the largest for an
original Disney/Pixar animated film ever. As evidenced by the tight holds, audiences are connecting emotionally with Inside Out: Japan is down 27%, retaining the top spot for a Western film in its 2nd go-round; Korea is also down 27% and is the No. 1 Western film for the 3rd consecutive weekend — its 2nd biggest Disney or Pixar animated release behind Frozen — and Brazil fell just 21%.
Overall, IO brought another $29.4M to the total in its 6th frame during what has been a staggered release. The international cume is $230.9M for a $550.14M worldwide brain trust (it crossed $500M late last week). Pete Docter’s latest is currently playing in 51 territories for about 72% of the total footprint. Italy and Germany are still on deck with China to be set, although an unconfirmed October 8 date has been reported locally.
PIXELS
Opening on 7,594 screens in 56 markets, Pixels‘ international rollout thus far reps 42% of the total offshore footprint. The movie performed best in Latin America, where Adam Sandler and family films are warmly embraced by auds. In Mexico, Pixels bowed No. 1 to $3.54M from 1,800 screens and
tracking ahead of The Lego Movie by 18%. In Brazil, the fight to save Earth from Donkey Kong et al grossed $3.12M for the No. 1 slot at 2.5 times Lego (and 15% below Guardians Of The Galaxy, Sony points out). Argentina with $2.3M from 239 playdates was the 8th highest-grossing opening of all time there + Sony’s best ever, ahead of both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (+129%) and Ant-Man (+117%). Bolivia, Chile, Central America, Colombia and Uruguay all ranked tops for the weekend.
In Russia, Sandler, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage and Kevin James scored $2.5M from 1,735 screens and are tracking 60% ahead of The Lego Movie. Pixels squished fellow debut title Ant-Man in Spain, with $1.21M from 474 screens. Korea had a steep 85% drop, as Inside Out holds firmly and local pic The Assassination claimed nearly 70% of the market share. Still, the $4.5M cume there has surpassed the lifetime total of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by 70%. Korea leads Pixels markets by virtue of its early opening with Mexico hot on its Centipede trail. Upcoming key market releases include Italy and Germany this week, the UK on August 12, Australia on September 10, Japan on September 12 and China on September 15 (the film is co-financed by LStar Capital and China Film Group).
TERMINATOR: GENISYS
Now in its 5th week of international release, Paramount’s Terminator: Genisys grossed $10.7M from 64 offshore territories. That brings the cume to $219.3M as Par prepares to unleash Arnold Schwarzenegger on China next month, having confirmed the August 23 release in the Middle Kingdom. More imminently, it’s revving up for Ethan Hunt and the Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation gang to take on worldwide audiences next frame. That film has also secured its China release for September 8.
T:G’s 3rd weekend in Japan added $1.7M from 338 locations, down 40% from last week. The cume is now $16.6M in the market that was the best for the last two films in the franchise. Also in the 3rd frame, Germany added $1.1M from 702 sites for a 35% drop with the cume rising to $7.7M. The UK’s 4th session was worth $761K at 590 cinemas, down 43% from last week; the total there is now $16.1M. France’s cume is now $9.8M and Argentina had a good hold with a current tally of $5.2M. Other cumes include Brazil ($11.1M), Australia ($10.1M), Russia ($21.8M) and Korea ($23.5M).
Looking to capture some of the stardust that propelled last year’s John Green adaptation to smash success in overseas markets, Fox’s Paper Towns released in 34 new markets this frame after an initial slow rollout that began in Brazil two weeks ago. The Jake Schreier-directed follow-up to The Fault In Our Stars (which Josh Boone helmed) grossed $7.5M on 3,905 screens in 39 total offshore territories for a cume of $15.6M. Brazil remains the top play with $5.69M after its 3rd session, followed by Australia at $2.66M after two. Openers included Mexico at $1.54M from 880 screens; the Philippines with $567K for the No. 2 spot and Sweden’s $308K which was 47% ahead of TFIOS. Fox has 18 additional markets releasing next weekend including Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
JURASSIC WORLD
Universal’s Jurassic World this week became the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time behind Avatar and Titanic when it hit $1.522B to overtake The Avengers. Including this weekend, the smash raptor chapter has $1.543B in dino dollars. And a sequel is stomping on deck for 2018. The weekend number is $8.3M in 63 offshore territories for a total of $918.5M. That figure should continue to rise with the final release in Japan on August 5.
MAGIC MIKE XXL
With sexy debuts in German-speaking markets, MMXXL grossed another $6.2M in g-string bills this frame. That’s in 42 markets on about 2,535 screens. The overseas cume is a healthy $39.9M to date. In Germany, Channing Tatum and crones picked up $2.8M — including muscular results from Ladies’ Night sneaks. Excluding sneaks, Magic Mike XXL more than tripled start of its regular-sized predecessor. The Top 5 market cumes are the UK ($9.8M), Australia ($8M), Germany ($2.8M), Holland ($2.4M) and Russia ($1.6M) with Brazil in the wings for next week.
TED 2
Ted 2 chugged down another $3.8M in 43 territories for an international total of $73.9M. Combined with the domestic cume, the worldwide take is $153.5M. The UK leads all markets with $13.5M and there are still 20 to go including the Middle East and Spain.
THE GALLOWS
Warner horror pic The Gallows grossed $3.65M from 2,618 screens in 31 markets to hang its interantional hat on $9.8M total thus far. Russia ranked No. 4 at open with $860K from 777 screens and Brazil grossed $346K from 155. Mexico has now cumed $1.7M and leads overseas after two frames.
Unfriended from Universal had solid holdovers in Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. The weekend box office is $1.8M at 746 dates in eight territories for a total of $21.6M. There are nine more territories to release. Next up is New Zealand on July 31.
PITCH PERFECT 2
Pitch Perfect 2 tuned up in France this frame with an estimated $779K at 349 dates for the Universal title. It warbled in at double the previous film’s bow. Belgium was a No. 2 start with $277K at 40 dates, 40% bigger than PP1. In all, PP2 scaled its way to a further $1.2M in 12 territories for an offshore total that’s approaching $100M at $98.24M — about double the first movie — and a global cume of $282M. This little winner has nine more markets to go.
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
An additional $1.1M for Avengers: Age Of Ultron in Japan this frame makes it the 2nd biggest Marvel Universe movie ever in the market at $21.1M, behind its predecessor The Avengers. The international cume is $939.2M to date for $1,395.9M.
SPY
Fox’s crafty Spy uncovered another $1.2MK from 1,021 screens in 37 markets. Italy, certo, is in on the joke, keeping the Melissa McCarthy-starrer at No. 1 for the 2nd frame in a row with a drop of only 22%. The international cume now stands at $122.5M.
POLTERGEIST
Poltergeist pulled in $300K from 202 screens in 18 markets with an opening in Taiwan that was good for No. 3 at $186K on 69 screens. Total offshore is $48.5M.
TRAINWRECK
Trainwreck, the unfortunate backdrop to the Louisiana movie theater shooting tragedy late last week, was released in three territories this frame: Greece, Israel and Romania. An estimated $223K is the debut number, in line with expectations. The events in the U.S. are not expected to have an impact on the box office overseas; Trainwreck should perform well in English-speaking markets and where Judd Apatow’s movies have traditionally worked. Australia is the next major opener on August 6; Amy Schumer and Bill Hader just completed a successful publicity tour and premiere there.
INDIE
On the indie side of international, The Weinstein Co’s Southpaw bowed in 10 territories packing a $4.5M punch. The Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer got a nice kick-off in Cannes where jury member Gyllenhaal attended an exclusive screening hosted by fest chief Thierry Frémaux, adding to the hype in France where it started off at $1.3M, debuting at No. 3 on opening day via SND amongst major studio fare. In the UK, it grossed $2.6M via Entertainment Film, landing at No. 4. In Greece it had the most admissions with $86K.
LOCAL-LANGUAGE
CHINA
The Middle Kingdom this week began giving a glimpse into the future beyond its unofficial blackout period with dates now set for such Hollywood titles as Terminator: Genisys (August 23), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (September 8), Minions (September 13); and Pixels on September 15. Local reports put Disney’s Ant-Man on September 18 and Inside Out on October 8 but those have yet to be confirmed. That’s all after the current blackout period (unofficial) which has helped boost local takings. Monster Hunt added $46M this frame to take the cume to $205M which means it’s approaching Jurassic World’s approximate $229M this year and could still play out. Comedy Pancake Man is now at $135M after nine days and Monkey King: Hero Is Back is at $95M total. Up next week is The Crossing Part 2, the second installment in legendary director John Woo’s two-parter epic. The first underperformed last December, but this passion project is one to watch. Part of the emphasis will be on the ship sinking, “which will be impressive visually,” Woo has told me. It’s also “cut it in such a way so that if you didn’t see Part 1, you could still understand Part 2, which is a standalone movie by itself.”
KOREA
Dong-hoon Choi’s The Assassination played on about 1,500 screens this week, taking 65% of the market share in a Korean landscape that has bobbed back and forth this year between homegrown successes and offshore hits. The Showbox title took $19.5M in the frame for a $23M total, per Rentrak. That has put it within inches of the Top 10 for the year locally. The action thriller scored one of the best opening days of the year last week, per FilmBizAsia with $3.08M. Budgeted at $15.4M, it stars Jun Gianna, Jeong-jae Lee, Jung-woo Ha and Dal-su Oh as a team of assassins out to kill a pro-Japanese group in 1930’s Shanghai. The film scored the best opening day for a local title this year and came in just behind Avengers: Age Of Ultron in the overall for 2015. FBA notes that domestic marketshare has dipped to 43% for the first semester making The Assassination better news than its title would suggest.
INDIA
Last week, Salman Khan’s Bhajrangi Bhaijaan crossed into the 200M crore ($31.3M) club after nine days, making it the fastest ever to the milestone — and the first movie to do so this year. Industry estimates put the second frame at $12.5M locally with a total of about $54M. It is now in the Top 10 all-time Bollywood grossers with over 250 crore. Only three films hit that achievement in 2014, including Khan’s Kick.
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