‘Kingsman’ Tops $250M Overseas On $40M China Bow; ‘IT’s At $650M+ WW; ‘DM3’ Catches ‘Dory’ – International Box Office

UPDATE, WRITETHRU Tuesday AM with actuals: Two weeks before Thor: Ragnarok comes hammering into China, Kingsman: The Golden Circle suited up in the Middle Kingdom on Friday, bowing to a stylish $39.5M. In a total 70 markets this frame, the Fox/MARV Films title added $48.1M, thrusting it back to the top spot on the international box office chart.

The Matthew Vaughn-helmed sequel had an offshore cume of $249.7M through Sunday, and ultimately crossed $250M on Monday, running about 30+% bigger than Kingsman: The Secret Service in the same group of markets and at current exchange rates.

Kingsman 2 is the first major Hollywood title to travel to the PROC following the National Day holiday Golden Week proceedings. Its bow there is 73% bigger than The Secret Service in March of 2015. It previously looked as though the Taron Egerton/Colin Firth/Mark Strong/Channing Tatum-starrer was going to face off with Warner Bros’ Geostorm in China at the weekend, but that pic now goes October 27 alongside Blade Runner 2049 (they will share the market’s 452 IMAX screens).

While Kingsman saw some small drops in the actuals versus the Sunday estimates, some Warner Bros titles kicked up a notch. That includes Geostorm which expanded to play in 58 markets. The sophomore session added $38M for a $52.1M overseas total to date. Despite its doomsday-scenario opening domestically, some folks see this one doing decent business in China when it opens on Friday. Still, finance sources surmise it’s ultimately bound to lose in excess of $100M (go here for Anthony D’Alessandro’s deep-dive). Also, time won’t be on its side.

Many international markets are in a holding pattern this coming week given the arrival of Disney/Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok which begins offshore rollout today in the UK. By Friday this week, the threequel will be hammering at the turnstiles in about half the overseas landscape, including France, Italy, Spain, Korea, Australia and Brazil (and playing on 188 IMAX screens). The outlook is bleak for pretty much anyone in Thor‘s path. And, the week after that, the Crown Prince of Asgard lands in the rest of the world, including the U.S. and China.

Turning back to this week, milestones include New Line/Warner Bros’ Annabelle: Creation crossing $200M internationally on the back of a great hold at No. 1 in the sophomore Spain session. It passed $300M worldwide last Sunday. From the same studios, IT scared away all competition in Italy with a record-breaking opening that’s the biggest horror bow ever and WB’s top launch weekend of 2017. The international cume is $332.8M for $653M global. Also, China’s Never Say Die crossed $300M locally.

Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 3, meanwhile, has caught Finding Dory and is now the 4th highest grossing animated film worldwide at $1,029,386,000.

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

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

Fox/MARV Films’ Kingsman The Golden Circle spied a $48.1M weekend in 70 markets this session, with a notable $39.5M in China. That takes the international cume to $249.7M and global to $344M. The film is currently outperforming its predecessor by 30+% in the same markets and at today’s exchange rates. The China start is 73% bigger than The Secret Service and the hold in France was a great -31% to maintain the No. 1 slot for the second week in a row.

In China, the sequel grossed $3.5M in IMAX plays. A strong overall Middle Kingdom start will nevertheless face competition from newcomers on Friday with Geostorm blowing in. Blade Runner 2049 also lands on Friday, although the film underperformed in its Korea debut last week. The following weekend sees the release of Disney/Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok so these films have little breathing room.

Vaughn, Egerton and Mark Strong recently traveled to the Middle Kingdom to promote Golden Circle. At a live-streamed Shanghai promotional event, Vaughn explained that the addition of some American flavor to the celebration of British culture was a way to expand the universe. “In the future we may find another culture to celebrate. It may be China,” he said, according to China Daily.

China is currently the top offshore play on KTGC (and could get up around $80M), followed by Korea with $36M and the UK at $30.6M.

The first film in the Kingsman franchise finaled at $286M overseas led by China, Korea and the UK. The Golden Circle still has Japan on January 5.

GEOSTORM

Warner Bros/Skydance’s Geostorm, the feature helming debut of producer Dean Devlin, whipped up $38M in 50 offshore plays this weekend. After entering 8 smaller Asian markets last frame, the disaster pic’s international total is now $52.1M for $62.9M worldwide. The holdover hubs dropped 41%, maintaining No. 1 in each save Korea where it is No. 2.

Faring better offshore than in its soggy domestic start, the $120M-budgeted movie was No. 1 in 42 markets, including Spain, Russia, the UAE, Holland, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. Regionally, it was the top choice for moviegoers in Europe and Latin America.

The Gerard Butler-starrer is about an intricate network of weather satellites that suddenly turn against the world, and several countries working together to quell the raging environment. Per WB, the starts “in most markets” have topped the openings of Butler’s Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen, as well as Blade Runner 2049, White House Down and Into The Storm.

Butler’s last couple of action titles have skewed heavily towards international, and the winds on Geostorm are blowing the same direction.

The pic had been shuttled back-and-forth on its China date but is set for October 27, facing off with the start of Blade Runner 2049 next weekend. Folks expect it to whip up some Middle Kingdom business. An international cast that features Chinese star Daniel Wu should help here — but, again, Thor…

The Top 10 openings in this session are Korea ($5.3M/964 screens), Russia ($5.2M/2,485), Mexico ($3.8M/1,842), the UK ($2.2M/995), Brazil ($1.7M/624), the UAE ($1.4M/137), Germany ($1.3M/589), Australia ($1.2M/324), Spain ($1M/324) and Holland ($836K/149). Also notable: In Taiwan, the drop was 19% for a $5M cume.

In IMAX, Geostorm tallied $4.5M global.

BLADE RUNNER 2049

Nearing the $200M mark worldwide, Sony/Alcon’s sequel took in $13.7M this weekend from 8,900+ screens in 64 markets. That takes international to $119.9M and global to $194.1M. Drops in major European markets were good: Germany (-26%), France (-36%), UK (-44%), Spain (-45%).

The top plays thus far are the UK ($20.6M), Russia ($9.3M), Germany ($9M), France ($8.6M) and Australia ($8.3M). It’s disappointing that Korea is not in that mix; it had a woeful start last frame and is now at about $2.3M.

China chimes in next frame, as does Japan. If the critically-adored movie from Denis Villeneuve is going to add any significant numbers it will come down to those hubs.

IT

New Line/Warner Bros’ horror juggernaut floated to another $13.4M on 4,224 screens in 60 markets in the session. That gives Pennywise a $332.8M overseas cume and a worldwide tally of $653M.

The movie put the IT in Italy this frame, scaring up a $7.9M record-breaking start. The Andy Muschietti-directed Stephen King adaptation had the best-ever debut for a horror pic with 73% of the top five films. It’s also the best bow for WB in 2017.

The Top Five markets to date are: the UK ($42.2M), Germany ($31.9M), Mexico ($27.5M), Brazil ($19.7M) and Australia ($18.7M). In Argentina, the $11.1M so far makes IT the highest-grossing WB movie ever. The last major to open is Japan on November 3.

THE SNOWMAN

Universal and Working Title’s Jo Nesbo adaptation picked up $6.6M for the sophomore weekend with 38 markets now tracking the serial killer thriller. The offshore total is currently $19.35M for $22.7M global after a frosty domestic start. From director Tomas Alfredson, the Michael Fassbender-starrer had a good Germany opening of $1.4M at No. 3. In German-speaking Switzerland, it was No. 1 with $170K. Australia is off to a slow start with $663K at No. 4. The UK is the best holdover with $774K for $3.6M to date. Norway (Nesbo’s home) had strong midweek grosses, but dropped heavily from last weekend’s great opening. It’s No. 1 for the second weekend in a row with $427K for a total of $2.5M. Israel is up next weekend.

HAPPY DEATH DAY

Universal and Blumhouse’s latest horror entry opened in 15 markets this session to lift the total to 26. With $6.5M added, the offshore cume is a running $13M for $53.7M global. The UK was the top opener with $1.3M at No. 4 in a crowded market. The Netherlands held to -25% for $544K after two frames. Results were mixed elsewhere with some smaller Eastern European and Asian markets off to very good starts while others like Denmark, Iceland, the Philippines, and Taiwan are off to slow starts. For Halloween this week, there are 13 more markets going, including horror-friendly Mexico.

MY LITTLE PONY: THE MOVIE
Lionsgate’s My Little Pony is trotting along with another $4.7M from 71 markets. The film, which plays to little girls, now has a $17.2M offshore cume. The UK was this weekend’s best start at $1.2M on 532 screens. France opened to $436K from 450 screens and Sweden debuted to $292K from 194. Australia is the next major to saddle up on November 2.

THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE
Warner Bros’ third entry in the Lego franchise added $4.9M on 5,037 screens in 63 markets. With school holidays in a number of holdover hubs, the drop was 33%. The overseas cume is $51.8M. The Top 5 are: the UK ($7.3M), Germany ($5.2M), Australia ($4.2M), Russia ($3.5M) and Poland ($2M).

THE FOREIGNER

STX/Sparkle Roll’s Jackie Chan/Pierce Brosnan-starrer added the Philippines in the session and took an overall $3.1M from 2,956 sites in 23 markets. The action thriller had already crossed $100M global and now has an international cume of $95.4M. In China, the Martin Campbell-helmed co-production crossed $80M this weekend, adding $1M from 1,617 locations in its crowded 4th frame. The total there is $80.1M. Still to come are the Netherlands (November 2), France and Belgium (November 8), Sweden and Norway (November 10) and Russia (November 23).

AMERICAN MADE

From Universal and Cross Creek, the Tom Cruise-starrer crossed $75M internationally this weekend, adding $3M in 48 markets. The offshore cume is $76.7M for $122.2M worldwide. Japan, the penultimate market to open, bowed on Saturday in 2nd place behind a local movie and made $1.5M at 291 dates and placing 3rd for the weekend amid a typhoon and an election. Russia is the top holdover at $837K for $3.4M to date. The final market on the well-reviewed pic will be Argentina on November 2.

THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US
Idris Elba and Kate Winslet recovered $2.7M in 20 markets their third time out. Led by a good hold in Australia at No. 3 and good openings in Peru ($150K/No. 4) and Central America ($145K/No. 2), the international cume on the Hany Abu-Assad-helmed survival tale is $14.1M. Next weekend, the film opens in 8 markets including Colombia and Holland.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE

The Emoji Movie (SNY): $2.4M intl weekend (45 markets); $121.8M intl cume
Condorito (FOX): $1.8M intl weekend (11 markets/Lat Am only) $5.3M intl cume
Cars 3 (DIS): $1.7M intl weekend (10 markets); $226.1M intl cume
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (FOX): $1.6M intl weekend (14 markets/Germany +2%); $45.1M intl cume
Victoria And Abdul (UNI): $1.5M intl weekend (35 markets); $31.5M intl cume
Annabelle: Creation (WB): $1.2M intl weekend (24 markets); $201.2M intl cume
Mother! (PAR): $1.1M intl weekend (46 markets); $24.8M intl cume
Atomic Blonde (UNI/SA): $811K intl weekend (Japan only); $45.1M intl cume
War For The Planet Of The Apes (FOX): $810K intl weekend (Japan only); $343.4M intl cume
Tadeo Jones 3 (PAR): $795K intl weekend (2 markets); $20.2M intl cume
A Dog’s Purpose (UNI): $509K intl weekend (Japan only/$6.7M cume); $200M intl cume

With a $702K international weekend in 35 markets, Universal/Illumination’s Despicable Me 3 has caught Finding Dory and surpassed the fish as the No. 4 animated film ever at the worldwide box office. The overseas cume is $766.1M and globally DM3 has lifted $1,029,386,000 vesus Dory’s $1,028,570,000. The Top 3 animated films worldwide are Frozen $1.276B; Minions $1.159B and Toy Story 3 $1.067B.