International Box Office: Ant-Man is Big Man in China
October 22, 2015
Ant-Man made a triumphant return to the international chart with a first place, $43.5 million run in 3 markets for totals of $275.9 million internationally and $454.7 million worldwide. Nearly all of this weekend haul came from China, where the film opened in first place with $42.77 million. (Some are reporting it came in second place to Goodbye Mr. Loser, but they are comparing the film's weekly total to Ant-Man's opening weekend.) Depending on how much money the film cost to advertise worldwide, it might have broken even already. If not, it will get there very early in its home market run.
The Martian was pushed into second place, but Fox still had a reason to celebrate, as it reached yet another milestone. The film earned $37.0 million in 75 markets over the weekend for totals of $175.4 million internationally and $319.0 million worldwide. This is enough that we can safely predict the film will break even sometime during its home market run. And if it can hit $400 million worldwide, it could earn a profit before it reaches the home market. As for the weekend haul, its single biggest market was South Korea, where it remained in first place with $6.09 million on 1,040 screens over the weekend for a total of $22.38 million after two weeks of release. It also opened in first place in Spain with $3.35 million on 684 screens.
Hotel Transylvania 2 remained in first place with $30.6 million in 66 markets for totals of $131.1 million internationally and $267.9 million worldwide. It is less than $100 million behind the first film's worldwide box office and matching that figure seems inevitable at this point. The film opened in first place in the U.K. with $9.76 million in 557 theaters, including previews. It only managed third place in Germany with $3.32 million on 1,008 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.77 million.
Goodbye Mr. Loser fell to fourth place with $22.0 million over the weekend for a total of $188.90 million after 19 days of release.
Pan remained in fifth place with $14.4 million in 53 markets internationally for a running tally of $47.1 million. It is doing better than it did domestically, but that's damning it with faint praise. The film's biggest market so far is the U.K., where it opened in third place with $4.23 million. That's close to a $20 million to $25 million opening here. In other words, it is better, but still not good enough.
Crimson Peak opened in sixth place with $13.4 million in 56 markets, which is a terrible start. Its biggest market was Russia where it earned $2.50 million on 950 screens, which was good enough for second place. It also earned second place in Spain with $1.08 million on 418. The film only managed fifth place in the U.K. with $1.49 million in 421 theaters. Unless something changes and soon, there's almost no way the film will break even. Unfortunately, Guillermo Del Toro is developing a reputation for making films that look amazing, cost a lot, and don't recoup their budgets.
The Intern remained in seventh place, again, with $11.3 million in 66 markets over the weekend for totals of $76.8 million internationally and $135.6 million worldwide. The film struggled in Italy earning sixth place with just $939,000 on 252 screens. On the other hand, it remained in second place in South Korea with $2.25 million on 529 screens over the weekend for a total of $19.47 million after four weeks of release.
The Little Prince opened in third place in China with $10.92 million, which helped the film earn eighth place internationally. The film is a French production and has played in many international markets, but has only earned $53.92 million internationally on a $77.5 million production budget.
The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials fell to ninth place with $8.7 million in 48 markets over the weekend for totals of $180.3 million internationally and $255.8 million worldwide. It did okay in Italy with a third place, $1.50 million opening on 341 screens there. The franchise is going to be profitable, but I don't think Fox will be too upset when it ends, as the films are not growing in popularity.
The Walk rounded out the top ten with $6.7 million in 71 market for an international total of just $17.4 million so far. This is nothing short of a disaster. This is one of the worst box office performances vs. critical reception that I've ever seen.
One final note, Suffragette opened in second place in the U.K. with $4.54 million in 526 theaters. This suggests the film will be a midlevel hit here, although there is some controversy over erasure. Women of color were always important parts of the suffragette movement, but word has it this film ignores their contributions. On a side note, Rowan Blanchard, who only very recently turned 14, wrote an essay about Intersectional Feminism. It's sad that someone who is barely a teenager understands this issue better than the adults who made the movie.
Filed under: International Box Office, Ant-Man, Hotel Transylvania 2, Crimson Peak, Pan, The Intern, The Martian, The Walk, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Suffragette, The Little Prince, Xia Luo Te Fan Nao, The Maze Runner, Guillermo del Toro, Rowan Blanchard