"Beowulf" leads foreign box office for 3rd weekend

By Frank Segers

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Beowulf" led the foreign box office for a third consecutive weekend Sunday, selling an estimated $19.4 million worth of tickets.

The international tally for Robert Zemeckis' $150 million warrior tale rose to $75 million from 60 markets; the North American total stands at $68.6 million.

The film opened at No. 1 in Australia ($1.9 million), Brazil ($1.2 million) and New Zealand ($306,000). In Japan, it vied for the No. 1 slot with a local title, each reporting about $2 million, and early data showed that it would be No. 1 in Russia. The film also opened at No. 2 in Turkey ($780,000).

Leading markets include Britain ($12.2 million), Germany ($5 million) and Italy ($4.8 million), all after three weeks. Spain has chipped in $5.5 million after two weeks.

Propelled by a sizzling first-place opening in France ($5.5 million), North American champ "Enchanted" was No. 2 internationally with $10.7 million. The family fantasy retained the crown in Spain with a $2.2 million weekend, driving its total to $5.9 million. The foreign haul stands at $18.5 million. It opens this weekend in Italy, Greece and Hungary.

"Hitman," which finished No. 5 in North America, grabbed the third spot overseas with $10 million, good for an early international total of $11.8 million. The videogame-based thriller opened at No. 2 in Britain with $2.5 million. ("Fred Claus" was No. 1 in Britain, but numbers were not provided.)

"American Gangster" was No. 4 internationally with $7 million, lifting its international total to $41 million. The Ridley Scott crime drama was No. 3 in the U.K. with $2.2 million, for a three-week total of $15.7 million. It opened at No. 1 in the United Arab Emirates.

Domestic dud "The Heartbreak Kid" was No. 5 overall with $6.8 million. France provided $2.1 million. The international total for the Ben Stiller comedy stands at $72 million.