Refresh for latest…: In another weekend crowded with holdovers, expansions and no new wide studio releases, the international box office was again led by China and blackout action smash Wolf Warriors 2. Now at an estimated $470M after 11 days, the film is on its way to devouring The Mermaid’s 2016 record as the biggest movie ever in the Middle Kingdom.

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'The Dark Tower' Is Tall Enough For No. 1 With $19.5M During Sluggish Summer Weekend - Final Sunday

Hollywood is currently shut out of that market, but had business to get on with in the rest of the world. Fox’s War For The Planet Of The Apes came out swinging at No. 1 in each of its 14 new markets, including France, Brazil and Germany; and was the top studio movie this frame. The weekend added $31.5M to the critically praised film — its best score since offshore rollout began in mid-July — for an international total of $147.8M before Korea (August 15), China (September 15) and Japan (October 13) get in on the action.

The No. 2 Hollywood movie at offshore turnstiles, Dunkirk channeled $25M in its third voyage. In the UK, the running cume is $49.8M, surpassing the lifetime of Christopher Nolan’s Inception. The drop was 44% overall for an overseas cume of $180.6M and a global total at $314.2M. It crossed $300M yesterday.

Elsewhere, Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me franchise got even Gru-vier this weekend. It is now the top-grossing animated series ever worldwide with $3.528B, passing the Shrek films for the record. Despicable Me 3 has lifted its worldwide cume to $879.5M.

In other milestones, Universal’s The Mummy crossed $400M at the global box office.

New titles in soft rollout this session include Sony/MRC’s The Dark Tower with $8M in 19 markets (Russia was the only major); and New Line/Warner Bros’ Annabelle: Creation at a No. 1 $1.1M in Italy (only opening).

H Collective
Turning back to Wolf Warriors 2, comScore has the sophomore FSS at $163M, a 30% hike from the opening three-day last week. The sequel that features a sort of Chinese Rambo in star (and director) Wu Jing will blow past The Mermaid’s $527M (RMB 3.39B) this week with local platform Maoyan predicting a huge RMB 3.8B ($565M) finish. That’s good news for Middle Kingdom coffers which had seen lackluster performances on local titles to date this year.

We are still waiting on estimates for Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets. Breakdowns on the films above and more are being updated below.

NEW
THE DARK TOWER

The Dark Tower
REX/Shutterstock
Sony’s Media Rights Capital co-production that’s based on Stephen King’s novel series is rolling out slowly overseas with Russia the only major this weekend. The English-language debut of A Royal Affair helmer Nicolaj Arcel topped a sluggish domestic box office with $19.5M; offshore it’s taken $8M.

The action fantasy bowed at No. 1 in 11 of 19 markets as The Gunslinger and The Man In Black faced off on 3,800+ screens. Russia launched to $4.1M from 2,150 screens.

Stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey should make for some of the draw internationally, led by the huge King brand and general curiosity with little in the way of major titles to come. The offshore release continues over the next three weeks, including France, Germany, Italy, Australia, the UK, Spain, Korea, Brazil and Mexico.

ANNABELLE: CREATION

WB
New Line/Warner Bros’ fourth film in the hit Conjuring series, and the prequel to 2014’s Annabelle ($257M WW) got dolled up in Italy this weekend, its first release ahead of the rest of the world. The No. 1 start was worth $1.1M on 279 screens. Results were on par with the previous Annabelle and The Conjuring 2, and came in 62% ahead of Lights Out, also directed by Creation’s David F Sandberg.

Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto star as a dollmaker and his wife whose daughter died 12 years earlier. They open their home to a nun, and several girls from a shuttered orphanage. But the shelter turns horrific as the possessed Annabelle sets her sights on the girls.

International box office on The Conjuring 2 rose more than 19% from the first film, while Annabelle did more than 62% of her business offshore. Mexico, Brazil, France, the UK and Indonesia were the biggest plays on that film.

Next weekend adds 38 international markets which go day-and-date with the U.S. including France, Russia, Korea, Australia and the UK.

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

Fox
In its biggest expansion — and 2nd highest weekend gross — since international rollout began in mid-July, Fox’s well-reviewed threequel added $31.5M to the offshore battle from 10,592 screens. France led the charge with $7.6M from 757 screens, followed by strong openings in Brazil ($4.3M) and Germany ($3M). Peru was particularly notable, breaking the record for the biggest August debut ever at $2M. It’s also Fox’s 3rd biggest of all time, only behind Ice Age 4 & 5. Argentina scored the best for Caesar and the franchise at $1.27M. The international cume stands at $147.8M, And, WFTPOTA now has a China date on September 15. Korea (August 15) and Japan (October 13) are also still to come.

DUNKIRK

WB
After crossing $300M earlier in the weekend, Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic has amassed $180.6M internationally and $314.2M worldwide. The 3rd frame on the Warner Bros film is an estimated $25M from about 9,400 screens in 63 markets.

The UK continues, natch, to be the lead play with another No. 1 hold and
$6.1M on 1,163 screens. Maintaining a nearly 50% share of the Top 5 films, Dunkirk also had 14% of its weekend there in IMAX. The total local cume has topped Nolan’s Inception with $49.8M (£38.1M). Australia likewise held No. 1 and has a cume of $13M.

The Top 5 markets are the UK, followed by Korea ($20.1M), Australia, France ($12.7M) and Spain ($6.7M). In the Netherlands, Dunkirk is still No. 1 with a slight drop and a $4.7M cume that beats the lifetime of Nolan’s Interstellar. There are still Italy, China and Japan on deck.

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