UPDATE: For the fourth weekend in a row, Warner Bros/Legendary Entertainment’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire was the top studio movie at the global and international box office. While it’s true there have not been a whole lot of wide releases on a worldwide level since the start of the year, it’s heartening to see continued play for the big titles.
That also includes Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 which will cross $500M global in the coming weeks, and the worm tail of WB/Legendary’s Dune: Part Two, currently closing in on $700M worldwide. Better start to the first quarter than expected? Yes.
Related Stories
Taking it from the top this session: GxK grossed $21.6M in 77 overseas markets this frame, just a 42% dip in the holdovers. That puts the international cume at $313.6M and global at $485.2M.
In like-for-like international markets and using today’s exchange rates, the monster mash is tracking 55% ahead of Godzilla, 22% higher than Meg 2: The Trench, 13% over Godzilla Vs Kong and roughly on par with Dune 2 and Kong: Skull Island.
The film has really lit up in China – rare for that fickle market — regaining the No.1 spot this frame amid strong competition. The running total there is $119.3M. Rounding out the Top 5 are Mexico ($30.2M), UK ($15.9M), India ($14M) and Australia ($10.7M).
A note about India, GxK is now the biggest WB movie ever in the market, surpassing Joker.
IMAX total is now $40M worldwide.
UNI/DWA’s Kung Fu Panda 4 keeps on kicking with notable increases in markets with school vacations (-32% overall, but up significantly in France and Germany). The fourquel added $15.3M this session in 82 overseas markets to top the $300M milestone. With $300.3M international, the performance so far is above KFP2 at the same point. The global cume to date is $480.3M.
Tops to date are: China ($47.3M), Mexico ($34M), UK ($23.1M), Germany ($15.2M) and France ($11.8M).
Universal also released Abigail in 62 overseas markets this session. That included majors UK, Mexico, Spain, Australia and Brazil. Offshore scared up $5M for $15.2M global. Many markets to come on this one.
As for Dune, well, yes, Part Two will get to $700M global. This session it added $4.2M from 74 markets (-42% holdover drop in the 8thweekend of release). Current stats are $419.2Minternational and$695.8Mglobal through Sunday.
Crunchyroll/Sony’s Spy X Family Code: White launched in seven overseas markets with $6.1M lifting the Sony cume to $11M worldwide.
Warner Bros opened MGM’s Zendaya-starrer Challengers in Australia and New Zealand this frame with a combined take of $769K. In Oz $672K from 278 screens served up a No. 3 debut. The start was roughly on par with Lady Bird and over Battle of the Sexes (+11%), Poor Things (+22%), King Richard (+39%), Past Lives (+168%), Call Me By Your Name (+230%) and Licorice Pizza (+1,397%).
Next week adds 51 markets including France, Italy, Korea, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and the UK.
From Focus, Studiocanal and Monumental Pictures, Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black continued its rollout this weekend with Universal adding Italy, Central America and Colombia. The full Uni weekend was $1.4M for an offshore cume of $2.8M to date, in line with Priscilla, and well above Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody and Judy in the same hubs. Notably, Italy was a No. 1 start with $800K on 443 screens.
Studiocanal markets on the Sam Taylor-Johnson-directed pic include the UK with a running total of £5.9M ($7.3M) through Saturday (we are waiting on full weekend reporting). Projected to retain the No. 1 spot for the sophom*ore frame, the film saw terrific uptake on Saturday (35% over Friday) and only down -24% from opening. So far, it’s tracking 49% ahead of Whitney Houston and 50% above Judy at the same point.
Other Studiocanal markets include Germany ($2.45M), Netherlands ($540K) and Australia ($964K). Totaled (and excluding Sunday in the above markets as well as Poland for which we do not yet have full numbers), that brings the estimated international cume for Uni and Studiocanal to $14.1M.
We also do not yet have full overseas estimates on A24’s Civil War, however the film is expected to hit $50M global in the next week. Based on earlyreporting, the drama has opened within the Top 5 in most of its international markets. On Friday this weekend, Brazil launched the pic to No. 1 via Sun, the biggest opening day for an A24 movie. Civil War was No. 1 on Friday in each of France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Norway and Finland. The UK cume is an estimated $4.8M.
Next weekend will be a busy one with Universal’s The Fall Guy starting international rollout while Challengers expands, The Roundup: Punishment debuts in home market Korea and GxK travels to Japan.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (SNY): $6.7M intl weekend (59 markets); $73.2M intl cume/$176.1M global
The First Omen (DIS): $4M intl weekend (51 markets); $27.3M intl cume/$45.1M global
Monkey Man (UNI): $1M intl weekend (28 markets); $6.6M intl cume/$28.3M global
Oppenheimer (UNI): $588K intl weekend (majority Japan); $641.5M intl cume/$971.3M global
