Around the World Roundup: 'Shrek' Reclaims Throne
Reclaiming the top spot after an eight week absence, Shrek the Third grabbed $17.9 million from 23 territories over the weekend, lifting its total to $436.5 million. The animated comedy had fantastic debuts across the board with its largest sum arising from Italy. Grossing $10.8 million from 305 screens there, it more than doubled Shrek 2. Shrek the Third also bested the openings of its predecessors in Norway ($2 million from 104), Sweden ($1.5 million from 144), Denmark ($2 million from 86) and Finland ($596,945 from 55) and, in Bulgaria, it more than tripled its predecessors with $62,487 from 12 screens. With Greece still ahead, Shrek the Third has an excellent chance as exceeding Shrek 2's $478.6 million final gross.

In second place, The Bourne Ultimatum earned $14.7 million from 30 countries for a $76.1 million total. The action thriller opened in Australia to a massive $5.1 million, besting both of the previous movies, and it debuted to $124,024 in Peru and $43,046 in Croatia. Even if Ultimatum didn't open in another market, it would pass the final tally of The Bourne Identity this weekend and would top The Bourne Supremacy in the near future, but it still has half the world to go.

Ratatouille placed third with $10.6 million from 33 territories for a $190.5 million total. The animated comedy had no major openings and continued to rely on holdovers like France, where it has led the entire month of August and grossed another $4.5 million in its fifth weekend for a $51.8 million total, surpassing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In The Netherlands, Ratatouille rose 37 percent to claim the lead in its fifth week of release with $407,641 for a $4 million total.

The Simpsons Movie snagged fourth place with $7.6 million from 33 territories for a $302.6 million total. The cartoon comedy opened in second in Greece with a sturdy $371,406 from 73 screens. Meanwhile, it continued to excel in the United Kingdom, grossing $1.3 million in its sixth week of release, off just two percent for a staggering $75.7 million total. The movie's next release is Italy on Sept. 14 and it's scheduled to wrap its international campaign on Dec. 22 in Japan.

Rounding out the Top Five, Rush Hour 3 bagged $7.3 million from 23 nations for a $53 million total. The action comedy has shown surprising legs overseas, falling just 13 percent in Austria, 22 percent in Germany and 33 percent in Japan. On top of that, in Mexico, it recorded a top-ranked $1.1 million opening from 321 screens, beating its predecessors.

RELATED LINKS

• Foreign Weekend Box Office Results

• International Box Office Home Page