International Box Office: Mission: Impossible dominates

Mission: Impossible series took the international box office by storm (sand storm) with an impressive opening weekend, Puss in Boots continued to perform above expectations while Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows started to slowly roll in theaters around the world.

The latest in the

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol opened with an impressive $69.5 million from 42 countries. That’s strangely similar to the $70 million opening Mission: Impossible 3 had five and a half years ago. Now Ghost Protocol was significantly stronger on a per-market base, a very good sign that the movie will most certainly finish ahead of the $263.8 million international cume of Mission: Impossible 3. Past entries in the series were even more lucrative overseas with Mission: Impossible scoring $276.7 million in 1996 while Mission: Impossible 2 made $331 million in 2000. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol still has a long way to go before it can live up to the box office standards set by those predecessors but it’s definitely on the right track.

Also on the right track is former leader Puss in Boots, now in 2nd place with $29.8 million for an international total of $188.2 million and $331.1 million worldwide, more than enough to cover the $130 million production budget.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was significantly healthier overseas then in North America, bringing in $14.6 million from just 6 countries including a $5.9 million start in the UK. The original 2009 Sherlock Holmes nabbed a total of $315 million internationally and that’s the number A Game of Shadows has to beat, even more so now, after that disappointing US opening.

In 4th place was Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, equally disappointing overseas with $13.3 million in 36 countries. Back in 2009 Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel opened with $23.4 million from 38 countries so Chipwrecked is slowly turning into the box office dud of this franchise.

5th place probably belongs to Arthur Christmas but it could just as well belong to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. All this mystery comes courtesy of Summit Entertainment and their lack of reported numbers. I could provide an educated guess and say that Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is somewhere between $9 and $10 million, but since Arthur Christmas made $9.5, mystery ensues. Anyway, the Aardman animated flick has made thus far $72.8 million internationally and $112.7 million worldwide. The vampire saga should be somewhere around $660 million worldwide, I’ll update as soon as I get the proper numbers.