Foreign Box Office: 'Hobbit' Remains No. 1 Overseas; Approaching Half-Billion Mark

The foreign theatrical circuit ended 2012 with a box office bang as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey commanded the No. 1 spot with a weekend gross of $106.5 million at some 16,600 screens in 62 markets, raising the film’s overseas gross total to $464 million.

Peter Jackson’s fantasy epic -- the first installment of the director’s $500 million trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel – took a relatively benign dip of 12 percent from its second round in holdover markets, and has perched No. 1 offshore for three consecutive stanzas.

An Australia debut generated an amazing $18.6 million from 560, and all but took over the market.  The biggest holdover market is Germany where The Hobbit has registered a market total of $60 million. 

New to the foreign circuit was Twentieth Century Fox’s release of Walden Media-Chernin Entertainment’s Parental Guidance, which opened in seven markets to a bracing $7 million at 1,491 locations.  The comedy costarring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler premiered best in Australia ($2.8 million at 234 sites) and in the U.K. ($2.1 million at 440). This week will bring 17 new market openings.

STORY: Holiday Box Office: 'Hobbit' No. 1 With $32.9 Mil

Meanwhile, it appears certain that the major Hollywood studios – Fox, Disney, Universal, Paramount, Sony and Warner Bros. – have broken their recent string of consecutive yearly box office records set on the foreign theatrical circuit. Preliminary figures from each company put the studios’ collective 2012 taking at $13.485 billion, less than the $13.6 billion box office record set in 2011.

Fox, which leads the six companies, scored a 21 percent jump in yearly foreign box office with a total of $2.725 billion registered this year versus $2.160 billion in all of 2011. The top title by far was the computer-animation Ice Age Continental Drift, which scored an amazing $718.1 million on foreign box office.  Following from a distance were Titanic 3D ($291.9 million) and Promethueus ($277.6 million).

Warner Bros. came in second with $2.670 billion for the year, down seven percent from last year and nine percent from the company’s foreign box office record of $2.930 billion set in 2010. The top two titles are The Dark Knight Rises, which grossed $634 million offshore, and The Hobbit. 

This year, Sony set a foreign box office record for the company, coming in with a total of $2.660 billion overseas – a 45 percent increase over the company’s 2011 total of $1.830 billion. Sony’s previous best was 2009 when it took in 2.142 billion in overseas box office. 

The latest James Bond sequel, Skyfall, was the big driver, grossing $622.8 million in Sony-handled offshore markets ($710.6 million overall including those markets handled by co-distributor MGM), the highest-grossing title ever released by Sony overseas. This year, the company also distributed The Amazing Spider-Man (grossing $491.9 million offshore) and Men In Black 3 ($445.7 million).

STORY: 'Skyfall' Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

Having its ups and down in 2012 was Disney, which recorded $2.080 billion in foreign box office, down 6 percent from 2011.  The highlight, of course, was Marvel’s The Avengers, which tallied a huge $892.4 million in overseas earnings. The flip side was John Carter, which pulled a disappointing offshore tally of $208.2 million.

Despite one or two high profile disappointments, Universal logged a record year overseas, taking in $1.788 billion in foreign box office -- 41 percent higher than 2011 and 4 percent bigger than the company’s previous record of $1.716 billion set in 2008. Universal had six titles grossing over $100 million offshore including Ted ($284.3 million) and Snow White and the Huntsman ($245.3 million).

With a contracted overseas release schedule, Paramount took a 51 percent tumble from 2011, grossing $1.562 billion offshore this year. It should be noted that last year set a foreign record for the company ($3.198 billion in offshore box office). The top earner this time was DreamWorks’ Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, which collected $525.5 million offshore.

And the biggest indie by far was Lionsgate, which collected $1.243 billion in foreign box office – up 280 percent from 2011 – on the strength of Twilight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part 2 (which drew $520.2 million offshore) and The Hunger Games ($284.8 million).

Returning to weekend action, Fox’s Life of Pi continues strongly on the foreign circuit, drawing $39.2 million on the weekend from 8,394 spots in 56 territories, raising director Ang Lee’s film to a cume of $220 million, of which $90.8 million came from China. 

A Germany opening was particularly strong, drawing $7.1 million from 704 sites, and a second U.K. round drew $6.6 million from 1,015 venues for a market cume of $17 million. Life of Pi opens in nine markets this week including Australia, Russia and South Korea. 

Registering record market openings for a musical in South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia, Universal’s Les Miserables costarring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Ann Hathaway drew a weekend total of $38.3 million from a total of 1,698 venues in eight markets, lifting its early offshore cume to $48.7 million.

The No. 1 Korea tally was a muscular $20.1 million over six days at 599 sites. In Hong Kong, the opening gross was $1.6 million including previews at just 31 playdates. In Australia, where the musical update opened on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), the opening launch delivered $8.3 million including previews over five days at 241 locations. Les Mis’ International rollout continues Jan. 11 with a U.K. opening.

Opening in 25 markets including the U.K. and France, Paramount’s latest Tom Cruise action title, Jack Reacher, came up with $18.1 million from a total of 2,195 locations in 32 countries.  Early overseas cume stands at $22.5 million.

The No. 3 bow in the U.K. generated $5.5 million at 445 locations over five days. In France, the No. 2 debut delivered $4.4 million at 480 spots. Reacher opens this week at 17 markets including Australia, Germany, Italy and Mexico.    

DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians collected $11.6 million in its seventh round overseas from 5,151 locations in 59 markets. The Paramount release, a $145 million fantasy title featuring the voices of Alec Baldwin and Hugh Jackman, lifted its foreign gross to $165.2 million. 

Sony/MGM’s Skyfall, the 23rd installment of the James Bond franchise, grossed $10.3 million from 3,225 sites in 60 markets handled by Sony and licensees of co-distributor MGM. In the U.K., where Skyfall has been gangbusters, the film became over the weekend the first movie ever to break the 100-pound sterling mark at the local box office. U.K. cume stands at $161.6 million.

Universal’s rom/com-musical Pitch Perfect grossed $6.2 million from 1,250 locations in 15 markets. The film’s early international gross total stands at $28.7 million.

Weekend box office action in France was generally heated. The top local language title remained Mars Distribution’s De L’autre Cote De Periph starring Omar Sy. The police caper about two mismatched cops assigned to a murder case drew $5.6 million from some 480 screens – up some 40 percent from its opening session last round -- sufficient for a No.2 market ranking. Market cume stands at $10 million. (The Weinstein Co. has domestic distribution rights.) 

View the original article here

Holiday Box Office: 'Hobbit' No. 1 With $32.9 Mil; 'Django' Easily Beats 'Les Mis' for No. 2

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey stayed at No. 1 in its third weekend with $32.9 million, while Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained easily pulled ahead of Les Miserables to take the No. 2 spot at the domestic box office.

The trio of films have dominated the Christmas season. Hobbit, which opened Dec. 14, has grossed $222.7 million in North America and north of $600 million globally.

Django, from The Weinstein Co., took in $30.7 million during the weekend for a six-day total of $64 million. Universal's Les Mis, directed by Tom Hooper, posted weekend earnings of $28 million for a six-day domestic total of $67.4 million and a worldwide haul of $116.2 million.

PHOTOS: Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained' NYC Premiere

Both films have outpaced expectations since debuting Christmas Day and, along with other movies, should see a nice boost on Monday and Tuesday (New Year's Day).

Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, Django is playing better to women than expected, with females making up 44 percent of the audience. African-Americans also are flocking to the movie about a slave who is freed by a bounty hunter, making up an estimated 30 percent of the audience. Django cost north of $87 million to make.

The film adaptation of the hit stage musical, Les Mis features an ensemble cast led by Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried. Les Mis, costing $60 million to make, has outperformed expectations at the North American box office, scoring the top opening day for a musical and the second-best Christmas Day opening of all time.

Moviegoing surged on the final weekend of the year, capping a record-breaking year for ticket sales in North America. Revenue will hit $10.8 billion on Monday, eclipsing the $10.6 billion earned in 2009 and up 5.8 percent over last year's $10.2 billion.

Attendance also made something of a recovery, with an estimated 1.36 billion people going to the movies in 2012, up 6 percent over last year's 16-year low of 1.28 billion.

But the Christmas season brought mixed results for Hollywood. Unusually crowded, there were eight nationwide releases between Dec. 19 and Dec. 25, leaving little room for error.

Family comedy Parental Guidance -- starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei -- has held steady at No. 4 since debuting Christmas Day, exceeding expectations. From 20th Century Fox, the $25 million movie took in $14.8 million for the weekend for a six-day total of $29.6 million.

Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher has done solid but unspectacular business since rolling out Dec. 21. The Paramount pic grossed $14 million in its second weekend for a domestic total of $44.7 million. Reacher, holding at No. 5, cost $60 million to produce.

Universal's This Is 40, from Judd Apatow and likewise opening Dec. 21, grossed $13.2 million over the weekend for a total take so far of $37.1 million. The R-rated pic cost north of $35 million to make.

Barbra Streisand-Seth Rogen comedy The Guilt Trip and Disney's rerelease of Pixar's Monsters, Inc., both opening Dec. 19, are considered DOA.

The $40 million Guilt Trip grossed $6.7 million for the weekend for a domestic total of $21.1 million. Monsters, Inc. took in $6.3 million for a total of $18.5 million. Andrew Adamson's Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Apart, playing in a modest 840 theaters, also has failed to find its footing, grossing $7.4 million so far for distributor Paramount.

The specialty box office also had its holiday winners and losers.

The Matt Damon-John Krasinski drama Promised Land, opening Dec. 28 in 25 locations, posted weekend earnings of $190,150 million for a disappointing location average of $7,606. The Focus Features movie reunites Damon with his Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant.

Focus is hoping the film's performance improves once the crowded holiday frame is over. On Jan. 4, Promised Land will be playing nationwide in 1,500 locations.

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty continued to impress in its New York City and Los Angeles runs. The Sony movie earned $315,000 from five theaters for an impressive location average of $63,000 and a stellar cume of $1.4 million. The movie expands nationwide Jan. 11.

Sony Pictures Classics' Amour performed nicely in its second weekend, grossing $60,016 million from three theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a location average of $20,005 -- the second-best of the weekend after Zero Dark Thirty -- and cume of $217,791.

Documentary West of Memphis, likewise from Sony Classics, didn't fare as well. The film, opening Christmas Day, grossed $13,856 for the weekend from five locations for an average of $2,771.

David Chase's Not Fade Away also is faltering, grossing $56,000 in its second weekend from 19 theaters for a location average of $2,947 and cume of $97,000.

Here are the full results for the weekend of Dec. 28-20 at domestic box office:

Title, Weeks in release/Theater count, Studio, Three-day weekend total, Cume

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 3/4,100, New Line/MGM, $32.9 million, $222.7 million.

2. Django Unchained, 1/3010, The Weinstein Co., $30.7 million, $64 million.

3. Les Miserables, 1/2,814, Universal, $28 million, $67.4 million.

4. Parental Guidance, 1/3,367, 20th Century Fox, $14.8 million, $29.6 million.

5. Jack Reacher, 2/3,352, Paramount, $14 million, $44.7 million.

6. This Is 40, 2/2,914, Universal, $13.2 million, $37.1 million.

7. Lincoln, 8/1,996, DreamWorks/Disney, $7.5 million, $132.3 million.

8. The Guilt Trip, 2/2,431, Paramount, $6.7 million, $21.1 million.

9. Monsters, Inc., 2/2,618, Disney/Pixar, $6.3 million, $18.5 million.

10. Rise of the Guardians, Paramount/DreamWorks Animation, $4.9 million, $90.2 million.

View the original article here

Holiday Box Office: 'Django' Narrowly Beats 'Les Mis' on Friday; 'Hobbit' Still No. 1

In a surprise twist, The Weinstein Co.'s Django Unchained narrowly passed up Universal's Les Miserables at the Friday box office to claim the No. 2 spot behind The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The R-rated Django, from director Quentin Tarantino, grossed $9.7 million for a four-day domestic total of $43 million, while Tom Hooper's Les Mis took in $9.4 million to place No. 3, and pushing its domestic total to $48.9 million. It's the first time that Django,has beat Les Mis (both films opened Christmas Day).

PHOTOS: Todd McCarthy's Best Films of 2012

Hobbit grossed an estimated $10.7 million on Friday to jump the $200 million mark at the North American box office. The movie, with a domestic cume of $200.5 million, is expected to stay at No. 1 for the weekend with a projected $33 million haul. Hobbit hit $600 million in worldwide ticket sales on Friday as its international total reached $400 million.

In North America, Django and Les Mis will remain in a close race for the No. 2 spot. Box office observers have the two films grossing in the $27 million to $28 million range for the weekend.

Hollywood is hoping that the final weekend of 2012 is prosperous at the box office considering the holiday is still in full force, with New Year's Day falling on a Tuesday this year.

Django, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio, marks another win for Tarantino following box office hit Inglourious Basterds.

The film adaptation of the hit stage musical, Les Mis features an ensemble cast led by Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried. Les Mis has outperformed expectations at the North American box office, scoring the top opening day for a musical and the second-best Christmas Day opening of all time.

Les Mis has rolled out in its first eight markets overseas, grossing $4.4 million on Friday for a foreign total of $36.6 million and a worldwide total of $85.9 million. The pic will cross $100 million sometime on Friday.

Family comedy Parental Guidance held at No. 4 on Friday with an estimated $5.1 million, putting its four-day domestic total at $19.8 million. From 20th Century Fox, the movie -- starring Billy Crystal, Bette Midler and Marisa Tomei -- continues to exceed expectations.

Paramount's Tom Cruise action-thriller Jack Reacher grossed $4.1 million on its second Friday to come in No. 5. The pic has now taken in $28.1 million.

Barbra Streisand-Seth Rogen comedy The Guilt Trip and Disney's rerelease of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. continued to struggle, grossing $2.3 million and $2.2 milllion, respectively. Guilt Trip's domestic cume is $16.6 million, while Monsters, Inc. has only earned $14.4 million.

The specialty box office saw the debut of Matt Damon-John Krasinski drama Promised Land, which reunites Damon with Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant. From Focus Features, the movie debuted to a soft $53,000 from 25 locations on Friday, putting its location average at a sobering $2,120.

Beating Promised Land was Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, which continues to impress in its New York City and Los Angeles runs. The Sony movie earned $94,081 on Friday from five theaters for a location average of $18,816. Zero Dark Thirty expands nationwide on Jan. 11.

View the original article here