Foreign Box Office: 'Resident Evil: Retribution' Rules Overseas, Grossing $49.6 Million in 59 Markets

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The foreign theatrical circuit shook off its late-summer box office bahs over the weekend thanks to a 59-market debut at 8,059 venues of the latest sequel in director-producer Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil franchise starring Milla Jovovich.

Resident Evil: Retribution grossed $49.6 million, finishing No. 1 in some 30 territories and easily taking the top spot internationally.

The action/sci-fi sequel opened in Asia particularly well in Japan (with a humongous $11.2 million drawn from 775 locations) and in Taiwan ($4.3 million at 226 spots). Russia kicked in $8 million drawn from 1,150 sites while Brazil came up with $3.2 million from 397 locales.  A Mexico debut is due this week.

Imax reported a $3.1 million weekend tally for Retribution at 93 offshore locations.

Anderson’s four previous Resident Evil titles have fared increasingly well at the foreign box office with 2010’s Resident Evil: Afterlife grossing $236.1 million, nearly four times the offshore total of the 2002 franchise original Resident Evil ($63.8 million). 2004’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse drew $78.2 million overseas while 2007’s Resident Evil: Extinction grossed $95.5 million.

Disney reported that its release of a 3D conversion of the 2003 Pixar animation smash, Finding Nemo, drew a total of $5.1 million in seven offshore markets, of which $1.3 million was registered on the weekend. (Original Nemo release racked up $527.9 million overseas.) Updated worldwide gross total for the title stands at $890.2 million.

Foreign returns for Millennium Films-Nu Image’s The Expendables 2 are incomplete. Results from a gangbusters China engagement won’t be known until this week. In France, however, the action sequel finished in the No. 3 spot, taking an estimated $1 million from 535 situations and pushing its market cume to $13.8 million.

Opening No. 1 in Austria, Belgium, Germany and in German-speaking Switzerland was  The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner.  Total weekend looks to finish at $8.9 million elicited from 4,038 locations in 52 territories.

Distributor Universal said it expect this week that the sequel (with a $90.9 million cume currently) will surpass the total foreign gross of the 2002 franchise original, The Bourne Identity, which tallied $92.3 million offshore.

Universal’s Ted, director Seth MacFarlane’s comedy-fantasy starring Mark Wahlberg, is expected to surpass 2009’s The Hangover on Monday as the biggest-grossing original R-rated comedy ever released overseas.  The Hangover’s total offshore tally is $190.2 million while Ted has rolled up $189.4 million thus far offshore.

On the weekend, it drew $8.5 million from 2,593 situations in 42 territories.  A No. 1 Mexico debut generated $2.1 million at 463 spots. With 17 foreign territories yet to play, Ted has grossed $406.8 million worldwide.

Opening No. 1 in South Korea was C.J. Entertainment’s Kwang-Hae (Masquerade), director Choo Chang-Min’s historical costume drama about a commoner who becomes a king. Debut round at 809 locations delivered $8.4 million. 

Opening No. 1 in Italy ($2.6 million at 550 spots) was Fox’s sci-fi/action title Prometheus, which drew $8.3 million on the weekend overall from a total of 2,675 spots in four territories.  Third China round delivered $4.6 million at 1,500 spots. Overseas cume stands at $264.3 million.

DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted flew past the $400-million foreign gross mark -- $405.5 million, accumulated since its foreign opening on June 6 -- after a $7.4 million weekend at 2,227 venues in 34 territories. A No. 1 Australia opening delivered $4.4 million (including previews) at 265 sites.

Tallying $7.25 million at 4,854 sites in 62 markets was Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight Rises, which lifted its overseas gross total to $617 million.  Top market for the Christopher Nolan Batman sequel remains the U.K., where the film has grossed $87.2 million.

The Watch, Fox’s sci-fi/comedy with Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, grossed $4.4 million at 1,900 situations in 29 territories.  A No. 2 Australia bow delivered $1.8 million at 225 locations.  Offshore cume stands at $19 million.

Sony’s Total Recall update starring Colin Farrell pushed beyond the $100-million offshore gross mark (accumulated since it opened overseas on Aug. 1) with a $3.9 million weekend at 2,932 sites in 84 territories.  A No. 2 Spain bow at 423 spots delivered $1.25 million.  Foreign gross total stands at $114.1 million.

Finishing No. in the U.K. with $2.3 million registered at 478 spots was Focus Features/Universal’s ParaNorman.  Fueled by openings in eight markets, the weekend overall generated $4 million at 2,502 locations in a total of 35 territories.  Overseas cume stands at $25.1 million.

The U.K.’s top-grossing weekend title was eOne’s release of The Sweeney, director Nick Love’s big-screen edition of a 1970’s UK tv cop show.  Opening round at 406 sites drew $2.5 million.

Still No. 1 in Spain is Paramount’s release of Tad: The Lost Explorer, the latest title in the Tadeo Jones animation series.  Third round at 425 locations generated $1.86 million, lifting the film’s single market cume to $11.6 million.

Opening No. 1 in France was Gaumont’s release of Camille redouble (Camille Rewinds), a prizewinner in the Director’s Fortnight section of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.  Directed and starring Noemie Lvovsky, the comedy about a single mother who time travels took in $1.57 million at 350 screens.

Opening No. 2 in France was Metropolitan Film Export’s release of director John Hillcoat’s Lawless, a crime drama about bootlegging during the Great Depression. Costarring Tom Hardy, Shia La Beouf and Guy Pearce, the film nabbed $1.28 million from 309 spots.

Other international cumes:  Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man, $484.3 million; Focus Features and other distrib’s To Rome With Love, $40.8 million; Fox’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, $64.8 million; Paramount’s The Dictator, $117.9 million; Universal’s The Five-Year Engagement, $24.7 million; FIP/India’s Raaz 3: The Third Dimension, $16 million; Universal’s Savages, $6.5 million; Focus Features’ Moonrise Kingdom, $17.5 million; Fox’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid, $13.6 million; Universal’s Anna Karenina, $4.4 million in U.K. only; Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, $682.1 million; and Universal’s Safe House, $80.8 million.