
UPDATE: Disney/Marvel’s Black Widow narrowly led the international box office for Hollywood films this weekend, grossing an additional $29.9M from 48 material markets. That’s a 55% drop from opening, which most agree is decent even if there’s no getting around the fact that these are not Marvel-ous numbers. The overseas total is now even with domestic at $132M for $264M global. Contrary to last weekend, Disney did not break out streaming figures this time around.
The Scarlett Johansson-starrer — as did other films this session — had to contend with increased closures in Australia as well as further restrictions in Korea and Japan and fine weather for a change in the UK. It held No. 1s in Brazil, Korea, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK. We’re told the mid-weeks were good and that the -55% is on par with F9’s second weekend drop in the same bucket of markets.
Perhaps the biggest issue now facing Black Widow is its future in South East Asia where most markets are closed, and China, where it has failed to secure a release date thus far. Those are massive Marvel plays and the question remains whether fans will rush out to theaters once, and if it does drop, given it has been widely available to pirates. As Anthony noted, it was the most-pirated movie last week on Torrent Freak.
So far, the top markets are Korea ($19.1M), UK ($15.6M), France ($11.5M), Australia ($7.9M) and Mexico ($7.9M). The IMAX cume is $17.2M worldwide.
In IMAX, Black Widow has taken $17.2M globally including $7M overseas.
IMAX overall hit a new milestone this weekend, overtaking $100M in local-language box office for the year. This is only the second time the format has reached the benchmark — and there are still five months to go in 2021. Toho’s Belle, from filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda’s grossed $780K from 38 screens in Japan. Also helping drive IMAX to the century mark, Bona’s Chinese Doctors added $2M to its total, which now stands at $5.5M and counting. Chinese Doctors was the top grossing movie of the weekend internationally with $44.3M and a cume in China of $137M+.
Vin Diesel & crew were seen on a giant beach screen Monday night during a well-attended Cannes Film Festival preview. The movie went on to score the best Wednesday opening of the pandemic era in France with $3M (Wednesday was also a national holiday for Bastille Day), the top Universal live-action debut and, including previews, was on par with both Fast 7 and The Fate Of The Furious. The weekend’s $9.4M beat Black Widow for best pandemic era launch. Germany, which recently reopened, welcomed the Toretto family with $6.8M for the best post-Covid start, despite severe flooding in the west. The UK is rounding $20M this week while Mexico has topped $24M and Brazil $10M. Still to come are Japan and Italy.
Next weekend adds France, Spain and Chile. A China date has not yet been confirmed (a July 16 date that had been floated was erroneous, we’ve been told) and the hope is for August after the July blackout ceases. China would be a key play for the movie given its love of basketball.
Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age hit the UK this session, landing $1M at 604 locations with the market overall affected by the nice weather. Italy scored the biggest pandemic era animation opening at $900K. In total, the sequel added $6.4M in 52 markets, good for just a 20% drop and a $132.7M international cume. Global is $191.2M.
Next week sees Paramount’s Snake Eyes join the summer box office fun.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE
Escape Room: Tournament Of Champions (SNY): $3.4M intl weekend (18 markets)/$4.5M intl cume/$13.3M global
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (SNY): $2.6M intl weekend (39 markets); $106M intl cume/$145.3M
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (WB): $2.4M intl weekend (58 markets); $124.5M intl cume/$189.1M global
Cruella (DIS): $2.1M intl weekend (31 markets); $140.7M intl cume/$224.1M global
Luca (DIS): $1.3M intl weekend (13 markets); $23.7M intl cume
A Quiet Place Part II (PAR): $1.2M intl weekend (44 markets); $130.6M intl cume/$285.7M global
Wrath Of Man (MIR): $200K intl weekend (44 markets); $73M intl cume/$100.4M
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