UPDATED: We’re in a bit of a getting going/holdover situation for the studios this weekend at the international box office. There are two animated films continuing to roll out in the marketplace — both of which are highly scored, and performing to differing degrees.
To wit: Paramount/Hasbro’s Transformers One added $16.6M in 61 markets this frame, taking the offshore total to $32.8M. Globally, the animated movie is at $72M. Still to open are Germany, UK and France. Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s The Wild Robot also continued its staggered release to add 21 markets this session. In 29 total, the frame was $9.9M for an overseas cume of $18.1M and $53.1M globally.
Before we get into detail on those titles, the international winner this frame was Telugu action epic Devara Part 1 with an estimated $27.8M overseas and $32.9M globally, per comScore. Starring NTR Jr, Janhvi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan, the movie had a $20.5M start in India, reports Pink Villa. We will update with more info as it becomes available.
Turning back to Transformers One, the biggest opener this session was China with a No. 1 of $8M, including previews. The market, which has strong history with the Transformers brand, is heading into the Golden Week period and remains quite fickle — it fell hard for Wild Robot last weekend with terrific scores then saw the film hardly budge this session (which did include a working Sunday given the upcoming holidays).
Other Transformers One openers included Korea at No. 2 with $1.4M, including paid previews, and with holidays ahead this week and next. Brazil debuted at No. 2 with $660K, likewise with holidays coming up. Italy ($590K), Colombia ($360K) and Peru ($337K/No. 1) round out the new starts. In holdovers, Australia saw a bump, up 17% for a local cume of $3M to lead all markets.
As for The Wild Robot, this potential Oscar movie is tracking well above Bad Guys and Migration, and in-line with Trolls in the same markets. That’s excluding China. China’s socials last week gave Wild Robot the best scores ever for the studio, but the movie dropped down the chart this weekend, adding $800K to reach a cume of $5M, in-line with Wish and more than triple Migration and PIB2 at the same point. Excluding China, the holdover markets were up 10% this session.
Mexico launched to a clear No. 1 of $3.7M from 2,470 screens, almost double The Bad Guys and Migration, and well above Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Central America also opened to No.1 with $500K, as did the UAE. Chile too took in $500K at No. 1. Australia saw strong uplift this weekend as school holidays continue to roll out for a cume of $4.6M to date.
Meanwhile, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice conjured another $13.6M this weekend in 77 markets. The drop was 29% in the 4th frame as what is a domestic-leaning property keeps playing internationally. The overseas running cume is $123.2M and the global tally is now $373.3M through Sunday.
Individual territory drops continued to hold strong including Poland (+15%), Holland (-10%), Australia (-16%), Germany (-12%), UK (-26%), France (-27%), Spain (-35%), Mexico (-36%) and Brazil (-37%).
Japan opened this weekend to $971K on 881 screens and ranked as the top U.S. title for the weekend. The result is higher than Ghostbusters: Afterlife by 10%.
The Top 5 markets to date are the UK ($27.6M), Mexico ($17.1M), France ($11.3M), Australia ($7.7M) and Spain ($7.7M).
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE
Speak No Evil (UNI): $5.3M intl weekend (77 markets); $29.6M intl cume/$57.7M global
Despicable Me 4 (UNI): $3.2M intl weekend (84 markets); $592.6M intl cume/$953.4M global