‘Venom’ Crosses $800M WW; ‘Grindelwald’ Grows To $440M; ‘Ralph Breaks The Internet’ Has Brawny Bow – Intl Box Office

UPDATE, writethru: Although the Thanksgiving holiday doesn’t factor abroad, moviegoers took in a cornucopia of offerings at the international box office this weekend, clocking new milestones for many.

Warner Bros’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald leads the overseas chart for the second weekend in a row as it tracks roughly on par with the previous film in the Wizarding World spinoff series. With $83.7M in the sophomore frame, the offshore cume is now $322.6M for $439.7M global. But there was plenty of magic reserved for new entry Ralph Breaks The Internet and pulsing holdovers Venom, Bohemian Rhapsody and more.

Off a phenomenal China performance, Sony’s Venom continued to course this frame and has now crossed $800M worldwide. At $822.5M, it is the 2nd highest grossing superhero origin movie ever globally, behind Black Panther. Of $610.8M at the international box office, $242.9M is from the Middle Kingdom.

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Elsewhere in Asia, there is a cultural phenomenon afoot as Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody hits higher and higher notes. The offshore cume is now $320.2M with Korea and Japan seeing increases this weekend. In the former, the Freddie Mercury biopic has jumped a staggering 80% from opening to become Fox’s No. 1 movie of the year there. Globally, the Rami Malek-starrer is at $472M.

In new play, Disney’s Wreck-It-Ralph sequel is on a staggered pattern to roll through the rest of the year and into February 2019. Early in the run, it is already tracking almost three times bigger than the original. Breaking into 18 markets this weekend, including China, Mexico and Russia, the $41.5M launch also puts it well ahead of Big Hero 6, Moana and Coco in like-for-likes. Combined with domestic’s great start, the global cume is $126M with play ahead in such key majors as the UK, Japan, Australia, Korea, Brazil, Germany and France.

Highlights for the Phil Johnston/Rich Moore-helmed adventure comedy include Mexico where Ralph scored the biggest Walt Disney Animation Studios launch ever -– at $6.3M it’s only 28% below Dis/Pixar’s local phenom Coco. The China bow of $19.5M is right on par with expectations and comes in just below Incredibles 2. Ralph has a better Douban score at 8.4 and landed well ahead of the sophomore turn of Fantastic Beasts.

FB2 has grossed $52M in China. Though it dropped to No. 5 there, it held the No. 1 position in 37 markets this session. Japan, a typically important hub for the Wizarding World, opened to $13M (including $1M on 31 IMAX screens) for WB’s biggest start of 2018 and similar to FB1.

In additional milestones to those noted above, WB’s A Star Is Born has topped $350M worldwide while Universal/Working Title’s Johnny English Strikes Again is now the highest of the franchise overseas.

Also from Universal, Night School has crossed $100M worldwide to become the No. 5 comedy of 2018 and the No. 2 original comedy of the year. The Kevin Hart/Tiffany Haddish-starrer has done its top offshore business in the UK, Australia and the Middle East, and is holding well in Germany which is a key hub for Hollywood comedies. Rollout continues through February with the current offshore cume at $24.2M for $101.1M global.

Outside Disney’s Ralph and Vanellope, the other new face at offshore turnstiles this session was Lionsgate’s Robin Hood which put $8.7M in the quiver from 33 markets. The UK was the top hub at a lackluster $1.7M. The majority of markets release in the coming week.

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

NEW
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET

Disney’s sequel has begun what will be a marathon run overseas as it will continue to roll out through February in key markets. The debut session in 18 hubs (34% of the international marketplace) thumped $41.5M to combine with domestic for a $126M global start. Overall, the bow has Ralph tracking almost three times greater than the original Wreck-It Ralph in the same suite of markets and at current exchange rates. It is also tracking around 44% ahead of Big Hero 6, 31% above Moana and 14% over Coco.

Among the debut homes for Ralph, Vanellope, Shank and the gaggle of Disney princesses, were China, Mexico and Russia. China came in on par with expectations at $19.5M which is just below Incredibles 2, although the current movie has a higher Douban rating of 8.4. It starts in what is largely a holdover session (local comedy A Cool Fish, Venom, Fantastic Beasts 2) and scored the 3rd best launch for a Disney Animation/Pixar title, already outgrossing the original film. The bow was 14% ahead of Coco, which ultimately enjoyed an extended run, and 45% ahead of Moana. In Middle Kingdom IMAX, the movie made $1.3M.

The Disney marketing team “had a lot of fun” with the film, says President Theatrical Distribution, Franchise Management and Business & Audience Insights, Cathleen Taff, who is bullish on the international start. In addition to activations across all of Disney’s social pages, there were Middle Kingdom takeovers on Tmall, Weibo and QQ. In Japan, where Ralph breaks out on December 21, the film has a custom microsite. And, overall, there was “tons” done with local influencers.

In Mexico this frame, Ralph posted $6.3M for Disney Animation’s best opening ever there. The No. 1 start was 148% ahead of Wreck-It Ralph, 114% ahead of Moana, 99% ahead of Big Hero 6, 54% above Zootopia and only 28% behind local phenomenon Coco.

In Russia, Ralph and crew made $5.7M for the four-days, notching the 2nd highest Disney Animation/Pixar opening ever. At No. 1 in the fast-burn hub, the movie came in 125% above the original, 99% ahead of Coco, 10% over Moana and 6% ahead of Incredibles 2.

Elsewhere, the sequel was the biggest opening weekend ever for a Disney Animation release in Indonesia and 2nd highest in India, Malaysia and the Philippines. In India, Indonesia and the Philippines, the opening weekend has exceeded the entire run of Wreck-It Ralph. In the other four Latin American territories that opened this weekend, Ralph Breaks The Internet was tops in each.

Next weekend notably adds the UK, followed by Spain, Japan and Australia in December; Italy, Korea, Brazil and Germany in January; and France in February.

The Top 5 markets from this weekend are China ($19.5M), Mexico ($6.3M), Russia ($5.7M), the Philippines ($1.4M) and Indonesia and Panama ($1M each).

ROBIN HOOD

Lionsgate’s Robin Hood reboot, starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx, opened in 33 offshore markets with $8.7M. The near-$100M production has an 11% splat on Rotten Tomatoes and will look to overseas to make up the domestic shortfall, particularly the more action-focused markets (South East Asia, Russia, etc). As Anthony D’Alessandro has reported, industry sources figure that around 60%-65% of the pic’s production cost was covered in foreign sales.

The early offshore play doesn’t look too hot, though there are many hubs ahead. The UK was the top market this weekend at $1.7M, followed by the Middle East where the movie is No. 1 at $1.2M. Rounding out the Top 5 are Australia ($901K), Italy ($885K) and Malaysia ($530K). Among markets still to come are France, Korea, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Spain and Germany.

HOLDOVERS
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

Now running about on par with Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them ($580M final IBO), the Warner Bros sequel to the Harry Potter spinoff series crossed $300M overseas and $400M worldwide this session. The current breakdown after an $83.7M sophomore session on 26,640 screens is $322.6M international and $439.7M global.

Grindelwald maintained No. 1 in 37 holdover markets and got off to a strong start in Japan which is a big Wizarding World hub. In the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, FB2 is No. 1 and tracking 5% above the previous title while in Latin America it’s ranked No. 2 and tracking the same as FB1.

Among the soft spots is the UK where the cume after two frames is $28.3M versus FB1’s $37.6M (unadjusted). The weekend on the current film was still No. 1 with 40% of the Top 5 and playing on 1,412 screens. China is also down, with $52M (RMB 361.3M) after the sophomore session, compared to $72.3M (RMB 498.5M) last time around. Germany, conversely, is up in dollar terms with a $23.2M cume after two weekends and a great 37% drop from open. France, Russia and Italy are all also ahead in unadjusted dollars.

The strong Japan opening was essentially on par with the previous film, which had a 5-day bow. The debut was $13M on 1,008 screens to set the bar as the biggest WB launch of 2018.

The Top 5 markets on the David Yates-helmed film to date are China ($51.9M), the UK ($28.3M), Germany ($23.2M), France ($19.8M) and Russia ($19.4M).

IMAX this session added $4.4M for a $19.9M overseas cume. The Japan debut was $1M on 31 screens, for a strong $32K per-screen average.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

As it makes the rockin’ world go round, Fox’s Freddie Mercury biopic continues to see increases in some key hubs after several weeks. The full international session on the Rami Malek-starrer was $38M to lift the overseas cume to $320.2M and global to a supersonic $472M. It should top $500M this week, already having overtaken last year’s leggy The Greatest Showman and 2016 charmer La La Land.

Korea is in love with the Queen movie, adding $8.7M in the 4th frame to top the opening weekend by 80%. BH is now the No. 1 Fox film of the year in the market with $36.4M. Japan likewise shot up, by 7% from last frame, and after three now has a cume of $20.9M.

Elsewhere, France ($23.4) and Spain ($16.4M) have both sashayed past La La Land locally. Brazil is adding screens again this week and has cumed $13.9M.

The UK leads with $50.6M after five sessions and is at No. 3 this weekend after dipping just 27%. Korea, France, Japan and Australia ($20.3M) round out the Top 5.

Next weekend, the film releases in Italy and South Africa.

VENOM

Sony’s Venom noshed on another $21.3M in 63 markets this session, taking the biggest mouthful in China where the cume has risen to $242.9M. That helps push the symbiote across $600M international and $800M worldwide. Broken out, the Tom Hardy-starrer currently stands at $610.8M overseas and $822.5M globally.

The worldwide tally makes Venom the 2nd biggest superhero origins pic of all time, beating out Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Deadpool and Guardians Of The Galaxy and standing behind Black Panther. Venom is now the No. 5 movie of the year globally and still has some China runway ahead.

After China, the Top 5 is comprised of Russia ($32.6M), Korea ($30.2M), the UK ($26.3M) and Mexico ($24.2M).

JOHNNY ENGLISH STRIKES AGAIN

New blood in China this weekend, Universal/Working Title’s spy spoof picked up $11.4M for the No. 4 position — topping FB2 in its 2nd Middle Kingdom frame. Overall, the weekend was worth $12.2M for the Rowan Atkinson pic and lifts the international cume to $138.4M. That makes this threequel the best overseas performer in the series. The global total is $142.7M and all markets have now released.

THE GRINCH

Sticking with Universal, Illumination’s The Grinch stole $7.6M in 33 markets this session. At $35.3M through Sunday overseas, it’s now grossed $215.8M worldwide. Dr Seuss’ work is not as well known outside of English-speaking markets (and Germany), but had a great 37% drop in the 3rd frame. The animated film is rolling out slowly with France, Australia, Italy, Germany and Spain on deck next weekend before Mexico, Japan, China, Korea and Russia all go in December.

The UK leads with $17.8M, taking a small 23% drop at 582 locations for No. 2 in the 3rd frame. Brazil, coming off a holiday last weekend, saw a 67% drop for $4.3M to date. The Nordics are holding strong with dips in the 30% range.

Openers this weekend were led by Argentina ($321K/218 locations/No. 3) which came in bigger than Big Hero 6 (+25%) and Trolls (+57%). Portugal made $295K at 83 for No. 2 and in line with Coco. Turkey opened to $265K from 277; Romania bowed to No. 1 with $218K from 80 to land 34% above Moana, 38% bigger than Coco and 168% over Sing.

WIDOWS

Steve McQueen’s female-fronted thriller in on a staggered release pattern overseas with $13M now in the international bag. The Fox film grossed $4.6M on 3,048 screens in the current session in 43 markets. Australia led new play over the weekend with $793K at 203 for No. 5, followed by Russia ($636K/754/No. 4), Holland ($380K/89/No. 4) and the UAE ($244K/76/No. 4).

In holds, the UK is tops with a $6.8M cume, followed by Italy with $1.2M to date. Next frame adds 19 markets including France, Brazil, Mexico and Spain.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE

A Star Is Born (WB): $3.5M intl weekend (64 markets); $162.4M intl cume (crossed $350M WW with $353.4M through Sunday)
The Girl In The Spider’s Web (SNY): $2.8M intl weekend (51 markets); $16.9M intl cume
Overlord (PAR): $1.7M intl weekend (49 markets); $17.5M intl cume
First Man (UNI): $1M intl weekend (36 markets); $54.2M intl cume (soon to cross $100M WW)
Halloween (UNI): $700K intl weekend (45 markets); $93.8M intl cume

NEW LOCAL-LANGUAGE

Spanish comedy Superlopez had a $2.4M start at its home box office, per comScore. From director Javier Ruiz Caldera, it’s based on the comic that was created in 1973 as a parody of Superman. Dani Rovira, of megahit Ocho Apellidos Vascos, stars.