Opening this past weekend in Australia, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 uncovered US$3.7 million in 3 days on 366 screens. The total is the highest weekend take of all time for foreign distributor UIP, which also released GLADIATOR and PHANTOM MENACE Down Under. The spy sensation also racked up $893,000 on 39 screens in Singapore and $488,000 on 38 screens in Malaysia. GLADIATOR still scored big receipts raising its international cume to $97 million. The period-piece pit-fight landed atop the German, British and Italian box office. The box office blood-fest grossed $3.32 million, $3.13 million and $672,500 in Germany, the U.K. and Italy respectively. However, the draw of Jackie Chans new comedy-adventure dropped DreamWorks darling to third in Hong Kong. The Maximus money-maker grossed an additional $209,908, bringing its Hong Kong cume to $678,091. MISSION TO MARS debuted in Japan and dethroned eight week champion THE GREEN MILE. The space epic grossed $796,023 on 32 screens. The Tom Hanks prison pic slipped to third behind live-action new comer ERIN BROCKOVICH. The Japanese jail sensation grossed $452,690, raising its Japanese cume to $22.07 million. On only 13 screens, Toeis PINCH RUNNER finished in 9th place in Japan. The top Japanese toon house produced flick made another $212,587, raising its home country cume to $555,634. STUART LITTLE and POKEMON still made an appearance on the German charts. The rascally rodent dropped from third to fifth, grossing $398,934 and bringing its German cume to $7.81 million. The first POKEMON feature stayed steady at #7, with a gross of $244,793, raising its German cume to $11.93 million. Another toon holding onto international fame is THE TIGGER MOVIE. Finishing in 9th place in the U.K., the hyper cat and friends landed an additional $257,793, bringing its British cume to $8.95 million. The Stateside disaster BATTLEFIELD EARTH made similar showings in several global debuts. The Scientology sci-fi saga premiered in 7 European markets making only $1.1 million total. John Travoltas labor-of-love peaked as high as third in Italy but making only $231,140 on 183 screens. Even in the U.K., the embattled EARTH opened at #7 with a gross of $313,071. Box office reports obtained in THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
