Paramount overseas box office passes $1 billion

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paramount Pictures International, which releases movies outside North America, said on Monday it has topped the $1 billion mark at overseas box offices behind hit films including "Iron Man" and the latest "Indiana Jones" saga.

Paramount, which is owned by media giant Viacom Inc, said it surpassed $1 billion on Saturday, six weeks faster than in 2007 when the company ended the year with a total $1.6 billion at international box offices.

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," the latest installment of adventure archeology from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, grossed more than $350 million internationally in just two weeks, the company said.

Likewise, "Iron Man" has taken in $210 million in markets served by Paramount Pictures International, and animated "Kung Fu Panda" has been another recent success for the division.

Reuters/Nielsen