Baby Still Earning Millions

March 27, 2005

Million Dollar Baby has again slipped off the radar screen, but we do know it hit $52 million internationally, which means it made $9 million during the week. The film didn't earn $1 million in any single market, but is still doing strong in South Korea, ($970,000), Spain, ($840,000), Italy, ($600,000) and Australia, ($350,000.) Best estimate has the film earning just shy of $5 million of that over the weekend and taking sixth place on the international box office charts.

• Meet the Fockers fell out of the top five this weekend landing at $3.8 million on 2200 screens for an international total of $220.0 million. It's biggest single market was Germany, where the film added $1.27 million during its fifth weekend of release.
• The Italian film, Manuale d'amore, (a.k.a. Manual of Love) opened in first place in its home market with $3.7 million on 482 screens, which was almost triple its nearest competition.
• Hostage fell a mild 29% in the U.K. to $1.1 million and fourth place. (On a side note, it managed just one fourth what the third place film, but three times the fifth place film.) The film also had a poor debut in Germany with $1.13 million on 525 screens and bombed in Italy with just $468,000 on 200.
• The South Korean film, Mapado, grew 4% during its second weekend of release in its home market, however, another local film, Stake Out was able to knock it out of first place winning the local race $2,668,171 to $2,486,066.
• Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason wrapped up its international run with a second place, $1,715,251 opening. The film is now just a few days from beating the original international run and hitting $250 million worldwide.
• The French film, Boudu, dropped 30% earning another $2,237,185 for the week raising its box office total to $5,434,815.
• Lorelei slipped another spot on the Japanese charts landing at third place with $1,618,472 for the week and $13,442,302 during its run.
• Ray earned $1.5 million over the weekend, $1,251,060 coming from France. The film has now earned $7,447,814 in that market and $39.44 million internationally.
• Blade: Trinity dropped 58% during its second weekend in Spain to $1.37 million, which is about what was expected since films in Spain tend to have big starts and huge drop-offs. Overall the film added $1.5 million to its $67 million international total.
• Shark Tale's run in Japan has been solid but unspectacular so far and it added another $1,350,819 to its running tally of $8,599,841 in the market.
• Be Cool got some good news this week as light competition meant the film dropped only 25% during its second weekend in Australia. It's sophomore haul of $725,000 allowed the film to remain in second place and lift its box office there to $2.1 million. The film also did reasonably well in New Zealand with $143,000 on 35 screens. Conversely, the film lost more than half its opening box office in Taiwan landing at $35,000 and failed to impress in Hungary, ($80,000) and Belgium, ($135,000) leading to an estimated $1.3 million weekend haul and a $3.4 million early international box office.
• Hide & Seek plummet 58% to eighth place with $385,409 on 210 screens in Italy while it held up only slightly better in its third weekend in Spain dropping 52% to $720,000. Another week like this and it will hit $100 million worldwide as it is sitting at $98.7 million at the moment.
• The Japanese movie industry is known for its longs legs with films lasting in the top ten for week after week. The local animated film, Rockman exe & Duel Masters, won't be one of those films. It lost nearly two thirds of its box office during its sophomore stint dropping to fifth place with $1,093,870 for a two week total of $5,149,470.
• Out of all the international markets that Saw will open in, Spain would be the mostly likely choice for breakout success. However, it was not to be as the film struggled with just $610,000 on 215 screens and the film could drop out of the top ten by next weekend. In South Korea the film saw its modest opening cut in half to just $300,000 leading to $1.35 million in the market and just shy of $25 million internationally.
• Pooh's Heffalump Movie's international run so far has been quite an enigma. This week the film struggled in the U.K., ($300,000 on 400 screens), Italy, ($210,000 on 170 screens, Spain, ($170,000 on 150 screens) and Mexico, (box office numbers not available.) However, it is the biggest hit of the year in Poland and one of the biggest hits in both Finland and Norway. Overall the film added an estimated $900,000 to its $10.9 million international total.
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou opened in ninth place in Germany with just $275,000 on 160 screens and had similar openings in Australia, ($110,000 on 22 screens) and the Czech Republic, ($12,000 on 8 screens.) Overall the film brought in just $900,000, which is still a disappointing result.
• Boogeyman really struggled in Germany bringing in just $560,000 on 250 screen and fell nearly 60% during its third weekend in the U.K. with $$298,000, also on 250 screens. So far the film has brought in $4.6 million internationally, $3 million of that coming from the U.K.
• Elektra saw its box office get sliced in half in France landing at seventh place with $821,731 on 496 for a $2,359,355 two week total in the market. So far the film has earned $28.5 internationally, with a few more midlevel markets as well as major markets like South Korea and Japan to go.
• Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events opened in Italy over the weekend but could do no better than $600,170 on 157 screens, only good enough for a distant third place. On the other hand, the film topped the Honh Kong box office with $150,000 on 27 screens. With $72.6 million internationally and $191 million worldwide, the film will have to wait till it opens in Japan before it can crack $200 million worldwide.
• Son of the Mask opened in second place in Hong Kong with $125,000 and in fourth place in Russia with $560,000. The film has brought in $8.5 million during its international run so far, but is a major disappointment when compared to its $85 million production budget and / or the original.
• Sideways is running on holdovers at moment, but it was still able to add $666,000 to its international box office of $29.75 million, which pushed its worldwide box office to $100 million.
• Are We There Yet? struggles in Australia when it opened last week, but it held up amazingly well dropping just 11% to $475,000. In the U.K. the film dropped out of the top ten with just $180,000 but that market is still the film's number one draw contributing $4.9 million of its $10.2 million international total.
• The end is near for Andrew Lloyd-Webber's The Phantom of the Opera in Japan. This week the film fell 45% to $578,484 lifting its box office in the market to $34,217,307 and $96.3 million internationally.
• Howl's Moving Castle added $565,662 to its running tally of $177,625,347 in Japan alone.
• Assault on Precinct 13 was one of four new releases in Spain that occupied the final four spots in the top ten over the weekend. The film finished in seventh place with $500,000 on 190 screens. In France the film dropped out of the top ten in just its third weekend of release, (exact box office number are unavailable.)
• With only a couple of debuts in smaller markets, The Grudge relied on its third weekend in Germany to provide the meat of its $475,000 weekend. In that market the film earned $400,000 to push its box office to $2.5 million, not a good result, but better than expected given its lackluster debut.
• Hotel Rwanda opened in Holland over the weekend but only managed a mediocre $50,000 on 20 screens. Its best market continues to be the U.K. where it added $200,000 to its $2.25 million box office. Overall the film added $450,000 to its $4.8 million international total. Unless the film has a major breakout hit soon, its domestic total is out of reach.
• The Australian picture, Hating Alison Ashley, opening in its home market with $420,000 on 180 screens, good enough for third place.
• The Wedding Date started its international run on the wrong foot with a tenth place, $400,000 opening in Spain.
• Alfie crumbled in Germany to just $200,000 during its second weekend of release, down 64% from last weekend. In Spain the drop was a little less extreme at 54% with the box office sinking to just $170,000. As low as those results were, they were enough to push the film's international box office to $20.0 million.
• Downfall opened in Greece with $88,000 on 8 screens and is still doing very well in Norway with $142,000 on 30 screens.
• The Sea Inside held up well in Germany dropping just 25% to $210,000, which was enough for the film to climb into tenth place despite the deluge of competition.
• Being Julia opened in Australia in semi-limited release with $200,000 on 39 screens, which resulted in the best per screen average in the top twenty.
• Darkness bombed in its debut in the U.K. with just $190,000 on 242 screens for the second lowest per theatre average in the top ten. (The lowest was the debut of Pooh's Heffalump Movie.)
• Les Choristes climbed into tenth place during its second weekend in the U.K. with $180,000. So far the film has earned $600,000 in the market and $75 million internationally.
• Creep collapsed in it second weekend in Germany making just $170,000, down 60% from its debut. The film opened this week in Spain and opens in France next month, but there's still no North American release date.
• Friday Night Lights fell out of the top ten in Australia with $100,000 there.
• Kinsey opened in Italy over the weekend but could only manage $62,500 on 40 screens and 18th place.
• A Very Long Engagement completely collapsed during its second weekend in South Korea bringing in just $18,685, down 87% from last week's debut.
• The Aviator has dropped off the radar screen for a while now, but it is now just a rounding error from hitting $100 million internationally at $99.9 million. The film will have already accomplished that feat during the midweek and should top its domestic total soon. Unfortunately, the film cost $105 million to make and will still need to wait till the home market before it sees a profit.

Filed under: International Box Office, Meet the Fockers, Shark Tale, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Grudge, The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Ray, Sideways, Friday Night Lights, Be Cool, Saw, Blade: Trinity, The Phantom of the Opera, Hide and Seek, Boogeyman, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason, Hostage, The Wedding Date, Elektra, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Hotel Rwanda, Darkness, Assault On Precinct 13, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Son of the Mask, Alfie, Kinsey, Being Julia, Un long dimanche de fiançailles, Der Untergang, Hauru no ugoku shiro, Les Choristes, Mar adentro, Are We There Yet?