International Top Five: Avatar Reaches Ten Digits
January 21, 2010
For only the second time in box office history a film has reached $1 billion internationally.
That film is of course Avatar, which again led the way at the international box office over the weekend.
It added $128.87 million on 14,575 screens in 95 markets for a total of $1.12 billion internationally and $1.61 billion worldwide, as of Sunday.
Avatar's only major opening of the weekend was in Italy, which is also the last territory to get the movie.
In that market, it set a record for biggest box office debut with $13.88 million on 848 screens.
Other markets of note include China where it added $17.9 million on 2,509 screens over the weekend for a total of $75.6 million, which is the best ever for that market.
It also broke the all-time record in South Korea with $71.91 million after a month of release, including $6.11 million on 579 screens this past weekend.
Meanwhile France remains its most lucrative market with a running tally of $115.3 million after $11.6 million this weekend.
There are a number of other markets where the film looks poised to cross the century mark (Russia at $86.15 million so far, Germany at $82.74 million, U.K. at $80.76 million, etc.) and the film continues to set records in numerous markets, as it is domestically.
At this pace, the film could top Titanic on the international stage as early as this weekend, while worldwide it is just a matter of time.
Sherlock Holmes remained in second for yet another weekend, pulling in $26.27 million on 5,041 screens in 56 markets for a total of $171.75 million internationally and $351.83 million worldwide.
Its biggest opening of the weekend came in Spain where it earned $5.28 million on 428 screens.
It did have to settle for second place; however, the first place film was Avatar, so second place is hardly a disappointment.
Also, its per screen average was better than Avatar's and the best in the top 20.
By this time next week, Sherlock Holmes's international box office will have overtaken its domestic box office and if it does well in its remaining major markets, $500 million worldwide remains a solid goal.
Next up was Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel with $15.56 million on 5,491 screens in 58 markets for a total of $159.78 million internationally and $352.49 million worldwide.
It is mostly coasting on holdovers at the moment, but it has already topped the original internationally and is just days away from doing the same worldwide, so Fox should be very pleased with its run.
It's Complicated climbed a spot into fourth place with $8.96 million on 1,986 screens in 24 markets for an international total of $36.37 million so far.
The film opened in third place in Russia with $1.24 million on 366 screens over the weekend for a total of $2.05 million.
Meanwhile it grew by 18% during its second weekend in the U.K., adding $2.13 million on 439 screens for a total of $5.38 million.
It was down 28% in Australia, but still added $2.24 million on 303 screens over the weekend to take its running tally to $7.11 million in that market.
Invictus made its debut in the international top 30 in fifth place with $7.20 million on 628 screens in 7 markets over the weekend for a total of $8.48 million.
It earned nearly 90% of its weekend haul in France, where it debuted in second place to Avatar with $6.31 million on 468 screens, giving it the best per screen average in the top 20 there.
Filed under: International Box Office, Invictus, It’s Complicated, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel