Around the World Roundup: 'Forbidden Kingdom' Leaps to the Top
Last weekend at the foreign box office, The Forbidden Kingdom dominated China and led the overall chart with $19.7 million from nine markets, pushing its early total to $24.1 million. In China, the Oriental fantasy's $2.3 million opening day was the largest in the market's history and that grew to a monstrous $11.4 million weekend, which was bigger than 2008's highest grossing movie there, CJ7, and just below Transformers. Additionally, Forbidden Kingdom led both Russia and South Korea with $1.3 million and $3.6 million, respectively. In Hong Kong, it made a massive $754,595 from 48 screens but saw a moderate $828,965 in Taiwan. In its initial four markets, it had average drops by genre standards.

Adding seven territories, Forgetting Sarah Marshall's box office ballooned last weekend to $7.1 million from nine territories. The comedy had a superb $4.3 million debut in the United Kingdom, which was producer Judd Apatow's largest yet. The movie didn't play well in Russia ($945,505 from 291) but held up in Australia (down 18 percent for a $4.3 million total).

Falling two spots but still showing strength, 21 grossed $6.1 million from 27 territories for a $30.7 million total. The blackjack drama had satisfactory openings across the Middle East, including Kuwait ($141,745) and the United Arab Emirates ($241,762) but was so-so in Venezuela with $137,318 from 30 screens. Its holdovers were more impressive, including Italy (down 22 percent) and Brazil (off 29 percent). Its top markets thus far include the U.K. ($8.9 million total), Germany ($5 million) and Spain ($4.7 million).

Among new movies Deception fared better than its domestic opening but still collected a decidedly poor $2 million from the U.K., Australia and Russia. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay showed some promise in Singapore with an $187,278 opening from 10 screens, ranking second. And Smart People attracted a modest amount of attention in Australia with $352,525 from 132 screens.

What's More Around the World

Death at a Funeral remained in second place in its eighth week in Argentina, growing by 12 percent and pushing its total to $1.1 million. Its opening was 46 percent worse than last weekend.

• Foreign Language Academy Award winner, The Counterfeiters (Die Fälscher), continued its impressive run in its native land (Austria) despite playing poorly before the Oscars. The movie earned just $50,000 in its opening and ended its run in June in Austria with $250,590. Now, after a re-release in February its total has grown to $1.8 million.

Ca$h's No. 1 debut in France represented the 14th weekend a comedy has led the territory.

Crank opened in its first market since 2007 last weekend. The action movie made a paltry $26,103 in Venezuela, ranking 13th.

RELATED LINKS

• Foreign Weekend Box Office Results

• International Box Office Home Page