UPDATE, WRITETHRU: After starting early offshore rollout Down Under two weeks ago, Sony Pictures Animation’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation checked into another 42 markets this frame, and topped the studio charts with $46.4M in 44 total hubs. The overseas tally is now $54.8M for a global total of $100.12M. The Genndy Tartakovsky-helmed threequel set a new record as Sony’s biggest animated opening for the same group of 42 new markets and was No. 1 in 33.
Similar to Stateside, the Drac Pack came in ahead of Universal/Legendary’s Skyscraper which made its overseas bow this frame in 57 markets. Latin America was particularly soft on the Dwayne Johnson-starrer while HT3 excelled there in a competitive landscape with school holiday play. The weekend on Skyscraper was $40.4M overall, including No. 1 starts in 17 markets and the best performances in Asia and the Middle East, but still mostly coming in below comps in a disappointing start.
To wit: It’s not all gloomy for Universal this weekend as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom stomped into its final market, Japan. The $12.7M debut at 375 locations is the studio’s biggest opening weekend of all time in Japan and the best of 2018 as JW2 tracks 35% above the previous film there. The current overseas cume on JWFK is $771.4M with $1,134.7M global. The movie’s release has also been extended for one month in China.
Also from Disney (and Pixar), Incredibles 2 added $33.3M in 43 markets for a $321.1M overseas cume and $856.9M worldwide. The UK was new this session with $12.1M for the second biggest 3-day opening for a Disney Animation/Pixar movie ever behind only Toy Story 3 and the best Disney Animation/Pixar non-holiday opening ever.
Turning back to Summer Vacation, the HT franchise has been a bright spot for Sony, increasing domestically and internationally. Both previous films were released in the fall, so this is the first summer tryout. HT2 finaled at $303.5M overseas in 2015 with the UK leading, followed by Venezuela (pre-devaluation), Mexico, China and Russia. Combined, the prior two movies have made $831.6M worldwide. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Korea and the rest of Asia are releasing HT3 throughout the later weeks of July and into August.
Sony’s President of International Distribution, Steven O’Dell, beams at HT3 opening bigger than HT2 in a competitive summer. “We know the multiple is going to be so much stronger because we have all these weekdays. It will be a record-setter for sure for us,” he tells Deadline. Momentum from the family-driven franchises this summer, Jurassic World, Incredibles and Ant-Man certainly helps all boats to rise and HT3 has most of Western Europe to come as well as China where a date is expected after the July blackout.
In China, juggernaut Dying To Survive stayed well and healthy with an estimated $68.5M weekend. The locally-reported gross is $366.6M to date.
Breakdowns on the films above and more have been updated below.
NEW
SKYSCRAPER
The movie is coming in lower versus comps like Rampage and San Andreas in most markets, and has seen soft numbers in Latin America in what is a competitive landscape with family films exerting force (Brazil and Argentina, for example, gave Skyscraper No. 4 bows).
The strongest plays are in Asia and the Middle East, but Skyscraper may not see much improvement in China when it bows there next weekend. The movie scored a July 20 release date amid the summer blackout, and while Johnson has a base in the Middle Kingdom, local films have been performing very strongly.
The top offshore Skyscraper market was Korea, coming in No. 2 behind the second frame of Ant-Man And The Wasp, with $4.67M at 435 locations. It’s tracking locally at 14% below this year’s Johnson actioner Rampage and 36% below San Andreas. Mexico also was a No. 2 bow, this time behind HT3, with $3.7M at 817 (-33% on Rampage/-61% on San Andreas). Russia further scaled to No. 2 with $2.62M at 1,363 (-10% on Rampage/-38% San Andreas).
Australia ($2.38M) came in at No. 4 but on par with San Andreas and 6% above Rampage. The UK brought a No. 2 start ($2.38M) behind the dominant Incredibles 2 and well below the Johnson comps.
Asia is a mixed bag with Indonesia bowing to $2.14M at 250 sites, above San Andreas, but below Rampage. Taiwan scored No. 1 and is above Rampage but below SA. Malaysia kicked off at No. 1 with $1.53M but still below the comps. Hong Kong ($1.43M) is up on Rampage and below San Andreas). The global junket for Skyscraper was held in Hong Kong July 5-7 including an interview conducted on land, sea and sky with Johnson, Neve Campbell, McKenna Roberts, Noah Taylor and director Rawson Marshall Thurber. In Vietnam, the movie was No. 1 with $615M at 156 dates. That’s 77% above San Andreas and scored Johnson his 2nd biggest opening day behind Rampage.
In other plays, Germany was a No. 1 start with $1.3M at 531, albeit below Rampage and SA; the Netherlands was also No. 1 with the best opening day for an original Johnson movie and tracking above SA. The UAE scored the 5th biggest Universal opening weekend ever at $1.63M. And in Egypt, Skyscraper is U’s 3rd best opening ever and tracking over the comps.
China and Italy open next weekend, Japan is in September.
EXPANSIONS/HOLDOVERS
HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION
Latin America, which leans into family fare, opened to $23M regionally and No. 1 in all 11 debut markets. The Adam Sandler-led film set regional records as the No. 1 Sony animated opening and the 5th biggest Sony opening of all time. Mexico led with a great $8.6M to rank as Sony’s 2nd biggest bow ever, behind only Spider-Man: Homecoming. Brazil launched to $3.8M, which is 50% ahead of HT2. Other notable debuts include Argentina’s $2.1M for Sony’s biggest opening of all time; and Colombia’s $1.5M for the studio’s 2rd biggest opening ever.
Russia debuted to $5.8M and Spain heated up with $2.7M, beating both Ant-Man And The Wasp (+82%) and Cars 3 (+54%).
Upcoming major markets include Germany, France, the UK, Korea and Italy. The China date is to be set, but will fall after the blackout.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP
India was a new hub for the insects this frame with $3.8M and exceeding the cume of the first movie. The bugs held No. 1s for a 2nd weekend in Australia, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore. The $100M benchmark has been crossed in Asia-Pacific, without China or Japan yet factoring.
Strong holds this weekend include South Africa (-22%), Venezuela (-29%), Australia (-36%), New Zealand (-36%), Chile (-40%), Sweden (-45%), Bolivia (-45%) and Brazil (-45%).
The Top 5 markets to date are Korea ($34.5M), Mexico ($11.5M), Australia ($9.7M), Russia ($9.4M) and Indonesia ($9M).
Next weekend adds France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
INCREDIBLES 2
The full weekend overseas, where there are many markets to come, was worth $33.3M in 43 so far. The offshore cume is $321.1M for $856.9M global.
Holds were good in several plays while the sequel has become the highest grossing Pixar release ever in Thailand, joining the rest of South East Asia in setting that record (outside China). It is also the No. 1 Disney Animation/Pixar release of all time in Colombia, Central America, Trinidad and Uruguay as well as the No. 2 Disney Animation/Pixar release of all-time across the Latin America region.
The top markets to date are China ($51.5M), Mexico ($36M), Australia ($29.5M), Brazil ($23.1M) and (World Cup champion) France ($17.7M).
Next weekend adds Korea and Hong Kong.
JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM
The full overseas weekend was $26.7M in 68 markets for $771.4M internationally and $1,134.7M worldwide. The top holds were in Germany (-24%/26.2M), Australia (-31%/$23M cume), Mexico (-58%/$32.2M) and the UK (-41%/$51.2M).
China has given JWFK an extended release and the cume there is now $256.1M.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLES
Adrift (STX): $2M intl weekend (46 markets); $12.1M intl cume
Solo: A Star Wars Story (DIS): $1.6M intl weekend (14 markets); $172.7M intl cume
Sicario: Day Of The Soldado (LG): $1.4M intl weekend (50 Lionsgate markets); $13.9M Lionsgate intl cume
Tag (WB): $1.2M intl weekend (42 markets); $15.1M intl cume
Deadpool 2 (FOX): $800K intl weekend (32 markets); $414.6M intl cume
Love, Simon (FOX): $377K intl weekend (17 markets); $24.7M intl cume
LOCAL-LANGUAGE
Last week’s international champ, China’s Dying To Survive, stayed well and healthy at the Middle Kingdom box office this session. It has now grossed an estimated $366.6M and held No. 1 for the weekend.
