China Trio Leads Overseas; ‘Resident Evil’, ‘La La Land’, ‘XXX’ Top Studios – International Box Office

UPDATE, TUESDAY WRITETHRU with actuals: There were a lot of moving parts to the international box office this frame with Chinese New Year titles taking the Top 3 spots and setting a new single-day record. Sony’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter came in tops for Hollywood with an added $26.8M for an offshore cume of $64.3M, pushing the franchise past the $1B global mark. Rounding out the Top 5, Lionsgate’s La La Land sashayed past Paramount’s xXx: Return Of Xander Cage in the finals with a $24.6M weekend, up from $23.5M in the estimates. Xander Cage nevertheless came in higher than Sunday’s $24M estimate to take $24.2M for an $89.3M cume. Oscar nominations leader La La Land also danced across the $225M line worldwide.

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China kicked off with five major releases, including a record-setting Day One for Tsui Hark’s Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back. Sony has that picture in some overseas markets outside the Middle Kingdom. Across just its local-language titles this weekend — including $6.8M from Fedor Bondarchuk’s Russian alien invasion pic, Attraction — the studio picked up $10.3M in a show of its increased focus on homegrown offshore productions.

In the UK, Sony further released Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting to $6.44M for the director’s best start ever. Illumination/Universal’s Sing also soared in the UK, nabbing the top spot and in the process crossing $200M internationally. Also from Universal, Split continues to show personality with a global cume that has now passed $100M.

Elsewhere, Disney/Marvel’s Benedict Cumberbatch-starrer Doctor Strange landed in Japan, its final market, with a $4.5M No. 1 start to best several comps.

Breakdowns and actuals on the films above and more have been updated below.

NEW
JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK

With an estimated $85M, Tsui Hark’s Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back leads the international box office this weekend as Chinese New Year kicked off on Saturday. The Day One cume on the film, RMB 360M ($52.3M), slots this Monkey King tale as the biggest opening day ever for a local-language picture behind last year’s The Mermaid (directed by Demons’ co-screenwriter and producer Stephen Chow). That film went on to be the biggest movie ever in China with $527M.

Per local estimated averages, the Saturday to Sunday drop was 32%. The Spring Festival will see wide open play continue. Sony has this sequel to Chow’s 2013 hit Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons in some offshore markets and this weekend debuted it in six for a $2.15M 2-day haul on 362 screens.

The other Chinese titles to score in the Middle Kingdom included Buddies In India ($44M per comScore), Kung Fu Yoga ($40M) and Boonie Bears: Entangled Worlds ($14M). There’s more detail in my separate reports here and here.

T2: TRAINSPOTTING

Danny Boyle’s reteam of Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle in this 20-years-later sequel opened in the UK this weekend via Sony. Moviegoers chose life to the tune of $6.44M from 1,000 screens, placing the pic at No. 2 behind Sing. The start is the 3rd highest ever for an 18-rated pic in the UK and the best ever for Boyle.

That film spawned a global phenomenon with the adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s book. T2 picks up as much has changed for the misfit group of Edinburgh-based junkies and as McGregor’s Renton returns to the only place he can ever call home.

The four actors and Boyle attended the world premiere in Edinburgh last week which was live streamed to 4.1M with over 1M views on Facebook including 305K live engagements. Edinburgh was particularly high on the group with #T2Trainspotting trending at No. 1 and every Scottish newspaper slapping them on the cover. The quintet also appeared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday night for an hour-long focus and recreated the original film’s poster, with Norton standing in for Kelly Macdonald.

T2 next travels to the Berlin Film Festival with a screening on February 10 and rolls out from there.

A DOG’S PURPOSE

Amblin Entertainment and Walden Media’s family film, which Universal is distributing in 20 overseas territories, opened in seven this frame. The weekend estimate for Uni is $3.4M and rises to $5M with Mister Smith markets factored.

The Dennis Quaid-starring pic has faced controversy over a TMZ video showing a German Shepherd being forced to perform against his will in artificial rapids. Domestically, distributors are divided as to whether that affected box office. With an A CinemaScore, the film about a reincarnated pup opened at No. 2 in North America this weekend and overindexed in the heartland. These sorts of titles have traditionally pulled the bulk of their box office from domestic. Overseas this weekend, Purpose opened at or above expectations in seven family-friendly Latin America markets including $1.8M in Mexico for No. 2, $861K in Brazil and $460K in Peru. Release continues over the next several months. Argentina, Panama and Venezuela open next weekend.

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
RESIDENT EVIL: THE FINAL CHAPTER

The Milla Jovovich-starring 6th installment in Sony/Screen Gems’ Resident Evil franchise grossed $26.8M overseas this weekend, to push the cume to $64.3M after a strong $35M run in Japan that began weeks ago. The frame helped push the series over $1B to $1.003B for the biggest video-game-based film franchise of all time.

In all, 42 markets were added this session to set a new franchise record as the biggest opening ever for the same group of markets at current exchange rates. On 7,500 screens in 44 total markets, the Paul WS Anderson-helmed pic grossed $10.1M throughout Asia including Korea ($3M), and No. 1s in Taiwan ($2.3M), Indonesia ($2.1M) and Thailand ($1.2M). In Latin America, the total was $9.7M, a new record for the series with No. 1s in nine out of 11 markets. Mexico led with $3.4M, followed by Brazil at $2.5M and Peru at $850K.

Constantin Films opened four markets in Europe this weekend to a combined gross of $2.9M. Still to come are Spain and the UK this week, followed by Russia and Italy on February 16.

LA LA LAND

Coming off of its 14 Oscar nominations, Lionsgate’s La La Land as expected twirled past the $200M global and $100M international milestones this frame. The $24.6M weekend in 73 markets lifted worldwide to $225.5M and overseas to $118.9M.

France debuted at No. 2 with $4.1M on 414 prints for a jazzy $10,014 per-screen average. The perf bested all musical comps for the past four decades. Italy, where the movie world premiered as the Venice Film Festival opener, tapped up $2.1M on 378 screens. Belgium and Sweden opened No. 1 with $676K and $589K, respectively. Hong Kong ($1.1M) and Argentina ($523K) were also new.

The UK has now surpassed Korea to become the top overseas play with $25.8M, dipping 29% in the 3rd frame. Korea is keeping step with $22.3M after eight weeks and is LGF’s biggest title ever in that market. In Spain, where Universal is releasing, the Damien Chazelle-helmed love story is at No. 2 in the 3rd session, up 9% over last and with a 17-day total of $7.6M.

Mexico is on the dance card this weekend followed by China on February 14 where it will also play in IMAX.

XXX: RETURN OF XANDER CAGE

With a $24.2M weekend, Paramount’s Vin Diesel-starrer dipped by 53% from its No. 1 opening last frame, lifting the cume to $89.3M internationally. There were nine new openings including Malaysia (No. 1/$2.2M/139 screens), Turkey (No. 4/$568K/238) and Vietnam (No. 1/$513K/111). There are still major markets to muscle into for the government operative: Korea on February 9, China on February 10 and Japan on February 24.

SING

Illumination and Universal’s animated show crossed the $200M mark at the international box office this weekend with an extra $23.7M in 61 territories for a total of $207.8M. Worldwide, that tunes up to $465.5M. In the UK/ireland and France, the openings were No. 1. While the UK/Ireland kicked off at No. 3 on Friday, Saturday saw a spike to No. 1 for a weekend estimate of $12.2M (including previews). That’s better than The Secret Life Of Pets’ start last year and is good for Illumination’s biggest bow of an original. In France, Sing scored $5M including previews. It took over the No. 1 spot from La La Land on Saturday with many sold-out shows, and Sunday was expected to go higher. It’s the 4th biggest winter animated release ever in France. Holds are good in other majors like Germany (-38%) and Mexico (-39%). China (February 17), Russia (March 2) and Japan (March 17) are in the wings.

SPLIT

The domestic No. 1 for two weeks in a row, Universal/Blumhouse’s Split added $14.8M overseas this frame in 31 markets. The cume is now $23.7M for a global total that crossed $100M at $101.7M. Australia opened No. 2 behind Lion with $2.8M. Germany was a No. 1 debut at $2.7M. Both markets came in above Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. Spain is also No. 1 at $2M, along with Italy at $2M. In German-speaking Switzerland, the M Night Shyamalan pic made $205K at 34 dates. The UK cume is now $7.5M. There are 33 markets still to release on the James McAvoy-starrer.

MOANA

In her 10th offshore weekend, Disney’s Moana added $11.8M in 35 markets. The international cume is approaching $300M at $293.1M to date with a global total of $533.3M. Moana opened to an estimated $1M in Hong Kong, above Frozen, Big Hero 6 and Wreck-It Ralph. It also opened in Taiwan to an estimated $600K, topping Frozen and Ralph. In New Zealand, Moana has become the biggest Disney Animation release ever, passing Lion King. Korea was a notable hold with a slight 2% dip from last frame. Next weekend adds Denmark, Norway and Sweden with Japan still looming on March 10.

DOCTOR STRANGE

Returning to the international scene, Disney/Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme landed in Japan, his final market, with a No. 1 $4.5M start. The international total lifted to $432.9M for $664.5M global. The Japan opening came in above the following comps: Guardians Of The Galaxy, Ant-Man, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Suicide Squad and Deadpool.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE

Passengers (SNY): $3.9M intl weekend (55 markets); $191.8M intl cume
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (DIS): $3.8M intl weekend (32 markets); $513.8M intl cume
Why Him? (FOX): $3.7M Intl weekend (49 markets); $52M intl cume
The Great Wall (UNI/): $3.5M intl weekend (28 markets); $211.2M intl cume (includes Legendary’s $170M in China)
Assassin’s Creed (FOX): $3.2M intl weekend (67 markets); $156M intl cume
Collateral Beauty (WB): $2.7M intl weekend (51 markets); $49M intl cume
Monster Trucks (PAR): $2.6M intl weekend (26 markets); $22.7M intl cume
Live By Night (WB): $1.8M intl weekend (47 markets); $8.7M intl cume
Allied (PAR): $2M intl weekend (31 markets); $72.2M intl cume
Hidden Figures (FOX) $1.5M intl weekend (11 markets); $2.5M intl cume
Arrival (SNY): $1.3M intl weekend (34 markets); $50M intl cume
Manchester By The Sea (UNI/SC): $1.26M intl weekend (7 markets); $5.9M intl cume
*Arrival (PAR): $395K China weekend; $14.6M China cume
The Accountant (WB): $579K intl weekend (Japan only); $67M intl cume

LOCAL-LANGUAGE

Sony’s Russian alien invasion pic Attraction grossed $6.8M on 2500 screens in Russia this weekend. Directed by Fedor Bondarchuk, of smash Stalingrad, the film was No. 1. In 47 IMAX plays, it made $600K. In local currency, the pic is neck-and-neck with the The Crew as the No. 2 biggest local-language title for IMAX in Russia.
Also from Sony, Wendy, a German-language pic based on the popular horse-themed comic for young girls, came out of the gate in four markets for $1.34M on 656 screens.
We’ll update figures for Bollywood titles Raees, starring Shah Rukh Khan, and Kaabil, starring Hrithik Roshan as they become clearer on Monday.