‘Glass’ Cracks $89M 3-Day Global Bow; ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Nears $800M WW – International Box Office
UPDATE, writethru: M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass took the top spot at the international box office this weekend with $48.5M in 55 markets. That’s right in line with pre-weekend projections and positions the Blumhouse pic at 13% ahead of its predecessor, Split. Disney, which handled the first movie in Shyamalan’s Eastrail 177 trilogy, 2000’s Unbreakable, has overseas on Glass via Buena Vista International. Combined with the domestic take (via Universal), the global three-day weekend is $89.1M.
Coming into the frame, we were reminded that there is lower awareness of Unbreakable outside the mature major territories, but the Bruce Willis/Samuel L Jackson/James McAvoy-starrer opened at No. 1 in the majority of its offshore hubs (note that it currently does not have a China date; should it slot in, the movie would not go through Disney, rather it would be a Shyamalan deal). While some expected Glass to be front-loaded, we understand the weekend didn’t reflect that overseas. We’ll see how word of mouth plays out during the next week. Internationally, the reactions have been better than the domestic RT score.
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Glass’ top offshore bows were in Russia ($5.2M/39% ahead of Split) and Mexico ($4.5M/+96%), both the best Shyamalan openings ever; the UK ($4.3M/+29%), France ($3.4M/-1%) and Korea ($2.8M). Within those, Mexico, Russia and the UK were highlights while Korea is the only one of the group that didn’t debut at No. 1, landing softly and faced with competition from the holdovers of two successful local pics. Japan was also light, not cracking the Top 10. While Japan was the biggest play for Unbreakable, Split was weak there.
Overall on Split, the UK, France, Korea, Germany and Russia were the lead markets and that film finaled at $140.2M abroad for a little more than 50% of its total.
Elsewhere at international turnstiles, Paramount’s Bumblebee stung the No. 2 spot for the weekend. As we reported yesterday, the well-received Transformers origins story flew past the $400M mark globally. Through today, it’s at $412.3M worldwide and $296.4M overseas, so it will soon zip across $300M offshore. Japan doesn’t release until March 22.
Warner Bros’ Aquaman for his part has now butterflied to $759.1M in international waters, and lifted his global cume to $1.06B.
Coming in behind the undersea adventure this weekend, Fox’s phenomenal Bohemian Rhapsody is now the biggest 2018 release in 13 international markets, including Japan ($88.6M), Italy ($30.5M) and the Netherlands ($19.3M). The cume on the Freddie Mercury biopic will imminently cross $800M global and $600M international.
Fox this weekend also took advantage of school holidays in four markets to sneak The Kid Who Would Be King. The Joe Cornish-helmed fantasy action comedy pulled $822K from 741 screens before it travels to 14 new markets next session along with North America. The well-reviewed adventure stars Ashbourne Serkis as Alex, a kid who stumbles upon the mythical Excalibur and learns he must form a new Round Table, teaming up with Merlin (Patrick Stewart) to take on the wicked enchantress Morgana (Rebecca Ferguson).
In milestones, Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns sashayed across $300M worldwide and will pass Chicago tomorrow.
Next weekend, we’ll keep a particular eye on China when, in a first for Deadpool, the Merc heads to the Middle Kingdom. Fox’s sequel, Deadpool 2, in its PG-13 version Once Upon A Deadpool, has been slated for January 25 in China where the original 2016 movie and its 2018 follow-up were too raunchy for the market. This one’s going out with the local title Deadpool 2: I Love My Home and star Ryan Reynolds has been in Beijing to promote the movie.
While the release will come just 10 days ahead of the start of the Chinese New Year influx of local pics, it’s thought there is pent-up demand for a Deadpool movie in the superhero-loving market. The last X-Men film to release in China was 2017’s Logan, which likewise was R-rated elsewhere, had some cuts and ultimately grossed a tidy $106.2M there. DP2 has nearly 600 IMAX screens booked in the Middle Kingdom.
Breakdowns on this week’s films above and more have been updated below.
NEW
GLASS
Disney/BVI served up M Night Shyamalan’s Glass in 55 offshore markets this weekend for a $48.5M start. Globally, the 3-day bow is $89.1M (it’s $95.6M when factoring in the 4-day domestic Martin Luther King holiday Monday). The overseas bow is in line with pre-weekend projections and didn’t play as front-loaded as feared offshore through the weekend. Word of mouth will be a significant factor going forward — reviews have been better overseas than in the States. Ahead, there is not much in Glass’ way. Most upcoming titles fall in the family realm and will stagger in before Alita: Battle Angel marches in February.
Glass‘ opening this weekend is 13% bigger than Split at today’s rates and in like-for-likes. There is much higher awareness of that recent picture versus 2000’s Unbreakable which is largely known in the mature major territories.
Russia was the top opener ($5.2M/39% ahead of Split) at No. 1 for Shyamalan’s best; followed by Mexico ($4.5M/+96%), also with Shyamalan’s best opening ever and at No. 1; the UK ($4.3M/+29%) at No. 1; France ($3.4M/-1%) at No. 1; and Korea ($2.8M). The latter was a soft start and fell in at No. 3 behind two local pics.
In Latin America, all markets opened above Split (+59% overall in admissions). In Europe, the region was 30% ahead of Split. Glass also shattered Shyamalan’s opening bests in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
There is no China date on Glass for the moment, and should it slot in, the movie would not go through Disney. Rather it would be a Shyamalan show; he is understood to have self-financed the $20M movie which was a negative pick-up for Universal domestically and Disney offshore. China doesn’t typically accept horror movies, although Blumhouse’s Happy Death Day got in last year and so did Paramount’s A Quiet Place. Still, this one is more of a hybrid.
The total IMAX portion of this weekend was $3.5M internationally.
In terms of getting the word out, Shyamalan traveled to Moscow Comic-Con, the Sitges Film Festival, Munich, London and Sao Paulo Comic-Con. On January 7, there was a gala screening in Paris with the director and McAvoy in attendance. There was also a surprise screening for fans where they introduced the movie and took questions. The UK premiere was held at the Curzon, Mayfair on January 9 and was attended by Shyamalan, McAvoy, Jackson, Willis, Sarah Paulson and Anya Taylor-Joy. McAvoy and Paulson then appeared on Graham Norton January 11 and Shyamalan surprised fans at London comic book store Forbidden Planet.
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
Josie Rourke’s feature directing debut had its overseas coronation this weekend in 13 markets. The Saoirse Ronan/Margot Robbie-starrer took in a solid $6.4M for a current global cume of $22.5M. Predictably, the story of the determined queen cousins opened best in the UK with Scotland standing out. The total there was $2.8M at 506 locations which was good for No. 2 and in line with The Favourite, The Post and Iron Lady, and above Victoria And Abdul, Lincoln, Suffragette and The Danish Girl.
Robbie’s native Australia was next with $970K at 225, above Darkest Hour, Brooklyn, Lady Bird, The Favourite and The Danish Girl. Italy ($817K/314), Germany ($509K/185) and Russia ($492K/615) round out the Top 5.
The three-time BAFTA nominee’s next major openings are Spain on February 8, followed by France and Japan.
HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
BUMBLEBEE
Paramount’s Bumblebee zipped past the $400M mark worldwide on Saturday, and through Sunday has a $412.3M global total including $296.4M internationally. The Hailee Steinfeld-starrer held No. 1 in China and still has Japan to come on March 22. That’s been a solid play for the Transformers franchise, so there’s more fuel in the VW Bug’s tank ahead.
The current weekend was worth $20.9M in 64 markets. China accounted for $16.3M of that at 7,154 locations and despite the arrival of eight new pictures. This is the 3rd weekend in a row at No. 1 with a cume to date of $137.7M and an extension to play through the New Year holiday.
Elsewhere, the top weekend holds were in the Philippines ($869K/207 cinemas/$3.3M cume); the UK ($798K/497/$14.7M); France ($419K/473/$9M); and Germany ($205K/388/$7.6M).
AQUAMAN
Warner Bros/DC’s heir to Atlantis speared $14.3M on roughly 8,660 screens in 79 markets in his most recent session. The international cume to date is $759.1M for $1.06B global. All markets save Japan (February 8) are open and China is now at $289.7M as its extended run starts to slow. Below the Middle Kingdom, the Top 5 markets are Korea ($39M), Brazil ($33.9M), Mexico ($29.7M) and the UK ($27.3M).
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
Any moment now, Fox’s runaway hit Freddie Mercury biopic will cross $800M at the worldwide box office. It’s currently at $798M through Sunday estimates. Internationally, the Rami Malek-starrer will also pass $600M imminently ($596M current).
The phenom added $11.3M on 4,036 screens in 44 markets this weekend — its 13th of international release. It is now the biggest movie released in 2018 in 13 markets including Japan ($88.6M), Italy ($30.5M) and the Netherlands ($19.3M).
In the current frame, Bo Rhap was No. 2 in Japan during the 11th weekend; in Holland it was No. 1 in the 12th; and in the UK the $66.27M cume takes it past Harry Potter 6 and Black Panther.
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Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s threequel swooped into five more markets this session including Brazil, Colombia and the Netherlands. The film is opening early offshore before its February 22 domestic bow. The weekend was worth $10.8M in 13 hubs for a $29M cume so far.
Family-friendly Brazil was the top start at No. 1 with $3.7M from 653 locations. That’s the 3rd best launch for DWA behind HTTYD2 and Madagascar 3. The Netherlands is ahead of all comps with $1.3M from 136, and Colombia bowed No. 1 for $1.2M at 192 (double HTTYD2 and ahead of The Secret Life Of Pets and Kung Fu Panda 3, notably.
In holds, Australia has cumed $12.1M after three frames, followed by Indonesia with $4.4M after two. The next big markets to open will be Korea and Italy at the end of the month.
ESCAPE ROOM
Sony’s Escape Room absconded with $9.5M this weekend in 16 markets. That includes a rare-for-horror release in China where the Adam Robitel-directed movie did a solid $8.5M, with increases throughout the weekend to more than double Happy Death Day‘s opening last February. The international cume is now $13M as rollout continues in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy and Spain through mid-March.
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET
Crossing $450M global, Disney’s sequel still has Germany and France to open, next weekend and next month, respectively. The current frame punched up $9.2M in 32 markets for an offshore cume of $262M. Worldwide, the lovable guy has grossed $455.2M.
Major markets continue to hold well including the UK (-25%), Australia (-35%) and Japan (-38%). China is still the top overall market, having finished its run with $39M, followed by Japan ($31.7M), the UK ($21.9M), Mexico ($17.4M) and Spain ($13.5M).
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
Another $6M internationally helped the magical nanny cross the $300M global mark after five sessions. In 44 markets, the overseas cume on Disney’s sequel is $147.3M for $306M worldwide. This was always a movie that was targeting Europe overseas, and with $118.8M in the region, MPR has passed Iron Man 1 & 2, Doctor Strange, Captain America: Winter Soldier and Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation across the Euro hubs. The UK, with $51.7M through Sunday off a 27% drop, will exceed the local lifetime of Les Misérables today.
The UK is the lead market, followed by Italy ($14.6M), France ($11M), Australia ($10.7M) and Germany ($9.9M). Big hubs to come include Japan and Korea in February.
CREED II
In 37 offshore Warner Bros markets, the Rocky spinoff sequel rang up a further $5.5M this weekend on 3,093 screens. The international running cume is $60.2M. With Germany, Italy, Brazil and Spain opening next weekend, it should top the previous Creed’s unadjusted $63.8M from 2015.
France, which was the leader on that movie, has now grossed $9.6M. Overall, it’s the No. 2 market behind the UK ($12.7M) and above Australia ($6.3M), Mexico ($5.9M) and China ($2.5M).
MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLES
Dragon Ball Super: Broly (FOX): $5.3M intl weekend (18 markets); $65.9M intl cume
Mortal Engines (UNI): $4.9M intl weekend (34 markets); $64.1M intl cume
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (SNY): $4.7M intl weekend (65 markets); $164.6M intl cume
The Favourite (FOX): $3.2M intl weekend (11 markets), $19.7M intl cume
A Dog’s Way Home (SNY): $2.8M intl weekend (8 markets); $5.1M intl cume
Instant Family (PAR): $2.6M intl weekend (20 markets); $17.4M intl cume
Stan & Ollie (EONE): $2.4M intl weekend (2 markets); $8.14M intl cume
Storm Boy (SNY): $1.2M intl weekend (Australia only); $1.3M intl cume
The Grinch (UNI): $1.1M intl weekend (54 markets); $237.9M intl cume
LOCAL-LANGUAGE
In its second weekend, China co-production White Snake bit into another $10.4M locally, an increase of 78% from opening. That takes the cume on the Light Chaser Animation Studios and Warner Bros (Flagship Entertainment) mash-up to $24.4M. This is ahead of the beginning of the crowded Chinese New Year frame on February 5, and before Wade Wilson takes his first steps in China with Once Upon A Deadpool opening January 25.
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