Director Michael Bay's third installment in the "Transformers" franchise proved to be a monstrous international hit this week, taking in a whopping $210 million and in the process posting the biggest opening of all-time in seven countries, led by Korea with $28 million.
In its first six and a half days, "Dark of the Moon" from Paramount became a global sensation, earning nearly $400 million with 60 percent of the North American and 70 percent of the international business generated by 3-D showings. IMAX set its own global record with "Transformers 3" as well, with $23.1 million in global sales since the film's launch.
In a distant second place is the Walt Disney release of "Cars 2," also in 3-D, with $22.1 million in its second weekend. The latest film from the hugely successful Pixar Animation Studio has a global cumulative gross approaching $200 million and is finding favor in the international marketplace with family audiences who can relate to its internationally-themed storyline.
Rounding out this international 3-D triple-play is "Kung Fu Panda 2" in third place with $19 million.
There's also big news in sixth place as Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" becomes only the eighth film to ever cross the $1 billion global revenue threshold and is now the seventh largest film in industry history in terms of dollars and on a worldwide basis.
Here are the top 10 movies at international theaters this past weekend, followed by distributor, international gross for the weekend (excluding North America), worldwide gross to date (including North America), and number of weeks in release, as compiled Wednesday by Rentrak and provided by Hollywood.com:
1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," Paramount International, $210,000,000, $372,125,000, one week.
2. "Cars 2," Walt Disney International, $22,100,000, $198,300,000, two weeks.
3. "Kung Fu Panda 2," Paramount International, $19,000,000, NA, six weeks.
4. "Hangover Part II," Warner Bros. International, $8,900,000, $548,117,688, six weeks.
5. "Bridesmaids," Universal Pictures International, $7,200,000, $187,695,480, eight weeks.
6. "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," Walt Disney International, $6,900,000, $1,007,700,000, seven weeks.
7. "Bad Teacher," Sony Pictures Releasing International, $6,700,000, $88,145,971, three weeks.
8. "Mr. Popper's Penguins," Fox International, $5,700,000, $61,124,722, three weeks.
9. "X-Men: First Class," Fox International, $5,000,000, $335,811,727, five weeks.
10. "Super 8," Paramount International, $3,600,000, $153,036,000, four weeks.
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Paul Dergarabedian is president of the Box Office Division of Hollywood.com and a box office analyst for The Associated Press.
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www.rentrak.com