‘The Last Jedi’ Rises To $745M Global; ‘Jumanji’ Swings In With $50M Overseas Bow – International Box Office
UPDATE, WRITETHRU: Disney/Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi knighted another $75.1M at the international box office this weekend, raising the overseas cume to $380.3M, and the global total to $745.4M through Sunday. The sophomore session falls amid a flurry of activity at offshore turnstiles, with new entries including Sony’s Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle and its muscular $49.5M start in 53 markets — 28 of them at No. 1.
Also new was Universal’s Pitch Perfect 3 with a $9.8M start in 14 markets, mostly tuning up 3rd place bows behind Jedi and Jumanji. Fox’s The Greatest Showman kicked off with $4.1M in 3 overseas hubs, taking a great bow in Korea where the market is crowded with local pics.
While Star Wars‘ X-wings got clipped by Jumanji in some overseas play including Russia, Mexico and eight Asia openings where the latter landed No. 1, Jedi maintained No. 1s in such key markets as the UK, France, Spain, Australia and Japan.
Overall, Jedi‘s crystal foxes are now running an estimated 30% below Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the same point of offshore play, and about 40% above Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Those films had different holiday configurations surrounding them in the sophomore session, meaning relative drop-off comps are ornery: Christmas Eve (today) is traditionally weak in many overseas markets, whereas tomorrow will see pick-up (though notably not in the UK where most cinemas will be closed). It will take a few days before the red dust settles.
Through Sunday, the UK continues to lead Jedi play with $67.4M to date while Germany has hit $40M. In Europe, the Rian Johnson-helmed entry is already the 4th highest grossing film of 2017.
Jumanji, meanwhile, swung to No. 1 bows in 28 of the markets where it faced off with the Resistance. The Jake Kasdan-directed movie that stars Dwayne Johnson is at $100M worldwide in its first session with several big markets to go.
In China, Feng Xiaogang’s Youth and Chen Kaige’s Legend Of The Demon Cat clawed it out for No. 1 while Jackie Chan-starrer Bleeding Steel landed in 3rd place. In India, Salman Khan-starrer Tiger Zinda Hai got off to a roaring start, looking to cross 100 crore ($15M) at home today.
Also showing its continued force, Disney/Pixar’s Coco is approaching $500M at the global box office with six major markets still to release. The worldwide cume through Sunday is $486.3M with $325M from international. The China cume is $165.5M to secure the No. 2 ranking ever for an animated movie behind Zootopia. China will continue to add local titles through next weekend, ahead of the January 5 bow of Last Jedi.
Elsewhere, the next international session will consist largely of holds and expansions as TLJ continues the fight for the light and with Jumanji and Coco adding Australia. Hugh Jackman’s Greatest Showman also has its Oz bow this coming frame.
Breakdowns on the films above and more have been updated below.
NEW
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Sony’s continuation of the 1995 classic welcomed $49.5M worth of moviegoers in 53 international markets this weekend. Taking advantage of the holiday season, the Jake Kasdan-directed pic was No. 1 in 28 markets where it faced off with Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Including domestic 5-day play (and the $2M from Amazon Prime screenings earlier this month), the global total is $100M through Sunday.
Major international draw Dwayne Johnson stars with Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale in the new adventure that sees four teenagers sucked into the world of Jumanji. When they discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of, they are immediately thrust into its jungle setting, and the bodies of their avatars.
The movie is currently at play in 44% of its international footprint. It dominated in the smaller Asian markets, taking the top spot in eight where it opened. The regional total is $14.8M. Malaysia led with $7.1M through Sunday, including last weekend’s paid preview program which set a territory record with $2.3M. Other regional openings include Indonesia ($3.4M), Singapore ($1.8M, including previews), Hong Kong ($1.4M, including previews) and Vietnam ($790K, including previews).
In the UK, Jumanji bowed at a strong No. 2 with $10.1M (including previews); Russia opened at No. 1 with $4.8M, ahead of this year’s installment of local Christmas series Yolki; and Mexico’s $2.9M dominated the market.
Other notable starts include France ($3.4M, including previews), Germany ($2.5M, including previews), the UAE ($1.7M), Spain ($1.4M), and the Netherlands ($1.2M, including previews).
Australia is next to bow, on Tuesday this week. Italy, Korea and Brazil head to the Jungle in the first week of January, followed by China on January 12.
Here’s Anthony D’Alessandro’s look at how Sony and producer Matt Tolmach finally pulled off a second Jumanji movie after the studio tried to make one for the past 22 years.
PITCH PERFECT 3
Two years after the sequel to Universal’s female-driven comedy opened during the summer corridor, Pitch Perfect 3 unwrapped $9.8M in 14 offshore markets. In most cases, the Trish Sie-helmed threequel took the 3rd slot below Jedi and Jumanji.
PP2 ultimately did $103M overseas for 36% of its gross led by the UK, Australia and Germany. The first film did about 44% of its business abroad with a total $50.4M in fall 2012.
This film sees the a cappella Bellas reunite for a USO competition in Europe. Returning are Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean, Alexis Knapp, Chrissie Fit, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins. Joining the returnees are John Lithgow and Ruby Rose.
The major bow this frame was the UK where the Bellas were No. 3 and are tracking slightly behind PP2 at $6M from 525 locations. Germany tuned up $1.8M at 483 sites, also No. 3. Both markets are expected to see solid holiday-season play. When it opened in 2015, PP2 had a weekday holiday in Germany as it did in the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland where PP3 is trailing that film.
Next weekend includes France and Spain; Australia goes January 1.
THE GREATEST SHOWMAN
Fox’s big holiday offering, The Greatest Showman, unwrapped in just three overseas markets this session, debuting to $4.1M from 922 screens. The Hugh Jackman-starrer notably played ringmaster in Korea where the musical was No. 3 in a crowded local field (No. 1 MPA movie in the market) with $2.8M and fantastic word of mouth.
It’s notable that Korea was ultimately the No. 4 offshore market on La La Land with over $25M at the box office there last year. The Greatest Showman features original songs by that film’s Oscar winning lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
The P.T. Barnum-inspired musical and showbiz origins story is directed by Michael Gracey and also stars Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Keala Settle and Zendaya.
The Chernin Entertainment pic also opened No. 1 in Taiwan this session with $698K and takes its show on the road in 60 new markets this coming weekend.
HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
The Resistance continued to fight against the Dark Side in 54 material markets this weekend, lighting up $75.1M for the three-day in offshore waters. The international total is $380.3M through Sunday with $745.4M global on the latest sci-fi saga installment.
The Christmas holiday will have had some impact here — particularly with the typically weaker Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday. Tomorrow, the UK, which leads Jedi’s overseas hubs, will feel a tremor in the Force as most cinemas there are closed. But school holidays are now in full swing as compared to last weekend.
Overall, the porgs are at an estimated 30% below Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the same point of offshore play, and about 40% above Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Those films had different holiday configurations surrounding them in the sophomore session so, as noted above, drop-off comps don’t quite square. Midweek overseas play was strong and we should have a clearer picture of a $1B global mark in the next week. There’s also China to consider on January 5 which will be one to watch, particularly given the Star Wars franchise has been angling to build its base there.
Here are some stats on this weekend’s lightsaber duels:
— Jedi is already the top grossing film of 2017 in both Denmark ($6.4M) and Sweden ($8.5M), as well as the 2nd highest grossing film of 2017 in Australia ($26.9M) and 3rd highest grossing film of 2017 in the UK ($67.4M).
— In Europe overall, Jedi is the 4th highest grossing film of 2017 after just two weekends, and will pass The Fate Of The Furious this week to take the No. 3 spot, giving The Walt Disney Studios 3 of the top 5 films of 2017.
— In Australia, TWDS now accounts for the Top 4 releases of 2017 — Beauty And The Beast, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Thor: Ragnarok and Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 — just wait til the Mouse swallows the Fox.
— No. 1s this weekend were maintained in: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand.
— The best hold was in Japan where it fell 37%.
— Overall, the UK leads the Top 5 at $67.4M, followed by Germany ($40M), France ($29.3M), Japan ($28.5M) and Australia ($26.9M). The softest spot among majors is Korea ($7.1M).
— In IMAX play, Jedi added $19.7M global for a 13-day total of $75M. Internationally, it added $8.4M for a $30.3M cume.
FERDINAND
From Fox’s Blue Sky Studios, the story of the gentle giant bull snouted out $21.5M from 10,635 screens in 62 markets this weekend. The international cume is now $30.7M. The biggest start was in the UK at No. 5 with $4.8M, followed by France ($2.1M) and Russia ($1.9M). Drops on the Carlos Saldanha-helmed pic were good in Australia (-25%/$4.1M cume), Germany (-30%/$1.8M cume) and Denmark (-25%/$938K cume). Ferdinand moves into 21 new markets throughout January, including China, Brazil and Korea.
COCO
After debuting in early November in Mexico, Disney/Pixar’s latest is still looking lively overseas with an added $13.3M this session to bring the offshore cume to $325M and the global total to $486.3M. There are still six majors to come, including Australia and Italy this week, followed by Brazil, Korea and the UK in January — and then Japan in March.
The extended China run has lifted Coco’s cume to $165.5M. A win for Pixar in this market, it’s the No. 2 highest-grossing animated movie ever there behind Disney’s Zootopia, having overtaken Despicable Me 3 this week. After China, the Top 5 is rounded out by Mexico ($57.6M), France ($17.7M), Spain ($12.2M) and Russia ($9.2M).
WONDER
Continuing its overseas run, Lionsgate’s Wonder grossed a further $7.3M from 66 markets this session. The Julia Roberts-starrer now has an international cume of $58.4M. New to the session was Italy where Wonder debuted at No. 2 behind the hold of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, taking $1.1M on 409 screens. Family-friendly Brazil still leads at $12.6M, followed by Australia ($7.7M) and the UK ($5.4M). The next markets to release are Korea and Belgium on Wednesday this week.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Rolling in with another $6.4M, Fox’s all-star Agatha Christie adaptation has now grossed $212.3M internationally. The hold in Japan was -20% for a local cume of $8.6M while France dipped 43% in the 2nd session to track down a running total of $4.1M. Germany’s 7th frame fell 33%. The cume there is $12.3M, topped by Italy’s $12.6M after four weeks.
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLES
Daddy’s Home 2 (PAR): $3.1M intl weekend (55 markets); $68.3M intl cume
Justice League (WB): $1.7M intl weekend (65 markets); $424M intl cume ($646.7M WW)
A Bad Mom’s Christmas (STX): $1.4M intl weekend (8 openings); $54.1M intl cume
Perfectos Desconocidos (UNI): $1.1M intl weekend (Spain only); $12.2M intl cume
Happy Death Day (UNI): $300K intl weekend (10 markets); $59.2M intl cume
The Foreigner (STX): $145K intl weekend; $106M intl cume
Darkest Hour (UNI): $100K intl weekend (China only); $5.4M China cume
NEW LOCAL-LANGUAGE
Feng Xiaogang’s Youth faced off newcomers this session in China, to lead for the 2nd weekend in a row at a locally-estimated $34.4M for a $121.6M cume to date. Coming in behind it was new arrival Legend Of The Demon Cat. From Chinese master Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, The Emperor And The Assassin), Demon Cat is based on the novel Samana Kukai by Japanese writer Yumemakura Baku. It’s set during the Tang Dynasty and sees a Chinese poet and a Japanese monk join to investigate the mysterious death of the most beautiful concubine in Chinese history. Together, they follow the trail of the titular demon cat who causes a series of strange events. The combination of director, lavish production, an animal and the afterlife was catnip in China with an estimated $33.5M at the weekend. Jackie Chan’s Bleeding Steel, meanwhile, picked up $27M in its debut. The sci-fi thriller is a China/Oz co-production from Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow. Leo Zhang directs Chan as a hardened special forces agent who fights to protect a young woman from a sinister criminal gang. At the same time, he feels a special connection to the young woman, as if they met in a different life.
In a crowded Korea frame, Lotte’s Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds had a strong start beginning December 20 and taking in $26.6M for the debut. The fantasy/drama from Kim Yong-hwa sees a firefighter taken to the afterlife by three guardians. There, he must pass seven trials over 49 days to prove his innocence and reincarnate with the guardians by his side to defend him at trial
In India, Salman Khan-starrer Tiger Zinda Hai roared into play with the sequel expected to pass 100 crore ($15M) today at home. India grosses take some time to collect, so we’ll update when they become clearer but word from box office analyst Taran Adarsh is that Friday and Saturday business was worth 69.4 crore ($10.4M) with a big Sunday and Monday expected. ComScore reports $3.64M in 10 overseas markets outside India for the sequel’s opening. This is good news after a year that saw some soft results out of Bollywood. The spy actioner from Yash Raj Films is the follow-up to the star’s 2012 smash Ek Tha Tiger and reunites him with leading lady Katrina Kaif. It also reteams him with Ali Abbas Zafar, who directed Khan’s Sultan last year to an $88M worldwide gross, making it the No. 3 biggest Bollywood title ever at the time. Inspired by real events, Tiger Zinda Hai follows a daring rescue mission in Iraq which sees Indian agent Tiger and Pakistani agent Zoya join forces against the militant messiah Abu Usman.
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