‘Warcraft’ Builds $16.3M Overseas War Chest Through Friday – Intl B.O. Update
UPDATE, SATURDAY AM: From Legendary and Universal Pictures, the Duncan Jones-helmed Warcraft is seeing some Orc-sized debuts in its overseas start. After taking $9.3M through Thursday (see below), it’s upped the cume to $16.3M through Friday. The vidgame-to-bigscreen transfer has invaded a total 20 markets and is No. 1 in 19. Defying some pre-weekend expectations, the adaptation is looking at an opening frame upwards of $30M. It’s still got 45 markets to go over the next two months, including major gaming hub, China.
So far, Russia and Germany have been particularly keen to convene with the people of Azeroth. Russia opened Thursday and now has a two-day cume of $4.9M with 65% market share. In Germany, the total is now $3.5M with 45% of the market — that’s after the movie scored the biggest opening day of 2016 on Thursday. Fans of
the game have simply rushed out to see it.
In France, where Warcraft has elicited fair-to-middling responses from critics and 4.4 out of 5 stars from viewers, the three-day total is $2.2M..
Sweden opened No. 1 on Friday with $539K, scoring Uni’s third-biggest opening day ever behind only Fifty Shades Of Grey and Furious 7.
There were further No. 1 starts in Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Latvia, Lebanon, Middle East, Norway, Pakistan, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand and the UAE. The Philippines was the lone holdout with Warcraft bowing at No. 2.
While Disney won’t be reporting figures on Alice Through The Looking Glass until tomorrow, it is currently up against Warcraft in all of the latter’s plays save for France, the Middle East and Indonesia.
We’ll have updated numbers tomorrow.
PREVIOUS, FRIDAY, 10:24 AM PT: Legendary and Universal Pictures’ Warcraft is off to a game start at the international box office, with No. 1 openings in its first 11 markets. The total through Thursday is $9.3M. The adaptation of Blizzard Entertainment’s juggernaut video game franchise is bowing in a total of 20 overseas plays this frame. Notably first out of the gate were Germany, Russia and France. The strong start points to a $30M+ bow this weekend, blowing past earlier projections in the $20Ms.
Gearheads were out in force in Germany, which scored the biggest opening day of the year for the market with a 50% share and a No. 1 Thursday of $2.2M.
In Russia, the No. 1 Thursday bow was $2.8M, which marks the second-biggest opening day of 2016, behind Deadpool and ahead of Captain America: Civil War, Batman V Superman and others. It is the seventh-biggest opening day of all time and the fifth-biggest non-holiday opening day ever.
Related‘Warcraft’ Trailer: “We Fight Together Or We Die Together”
France booted up Wednesday with $983K for a No. 1 start and a total through Thursday of $1.5M.
Austria, Denmark, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Lebanon, Switzerland, Thailand and the UAE are the other top spot openers. There are nine further markets to come this weekend including Norway and Sweden.
The Orc-filled adaptation stars Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Ben Foster and Dominic Cooper — and also features Chinese heartthrob Daniel Wu, who was in last year’s hit Go Away Mr Tumor. He’ll act as a particular draw at Middle Kingdom turnstiles when the film gets there on June 8 in a rare pre-U.S. release.
Related‘Warcraft’ Sets China Release Two Days Ahead Of U.S.: A Burgeoning Trend?
Meanwhile, the early numbers on Warcraft are beating Disney’s sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass in certain territories. That family film will see the bulk of its business as we head to the FSS; it is playing in more than 50 offshore territories this weekend, including China which bowed today. Unofficial estimates out of the Middle Kingdom have it at a $7.3M start.
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