Sony Pictures
Refresh for latest…: After starting early offshore rollout in Australia two weeks ago, Sony Pictures Animations Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation checked into another 42 markets this weekend, and topped the studio charts with $46.4M in 44 total hubs. The overseas tally is now $54.8M for a global total of $100.12M. The Genndy Tartakovsky-helmed threequel set a new record as Sonys biggest animated opening for the same group of 42 new markets and was No. 1 in 33.
Similar to Stateside, the Drac Pack came in ahead of Universal/Legendarys Skyscraper which made its overseas bow this frame in 57 markets. Latin America was particularly soft on the Dwayne Johnson-starrer while HT3 excelled there in a competitive landscape with school holiday play. The weekend on Skyscraper was $40.4M overall, with No. 1 starts in 17 markets and the best performances in Asia and the Middle East, but still mostly coming in below comps in a disappointing start.
Johnson is one of the biggest draws at the international box office, but as Anthony DAlessandro has reported, there is sentiment domestically — which in this case also translates to overseas — that, among other issues, Skyscrapers Die Hard redux premise wasnt enough to excite moviegoers.
But its not all gloomy for Universal this weekend as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom stomped into its final market, Japan. The $12.7M debut at 375 locations is the studios biggest opening weekend of all time in Japan and the best of 2018 as JW2 tracks 35% above the previous film there. The current overseas cume on JWFK is $771.4M with $1,134.7M global.
Last weeks studio champ, Ant-Man And The Wasp, added $35.3M in 44 markets to take the overseas cume to $150.9M for $283.7M global. That includes a No. 1 start in India where the Disney/Marvel sequel has outgrossed the lifetime of the original. Overall, it is running 33% above the first movie in the same markets and at todays rates. There are still several majors to come.
Also from Disney (and Pixar), Incredibles 2 added $33.3M in 43 markets for a $321.1M overseas cume and $856.9M worldwide. The UK was new this session with $12.1M for the second biggest 3-day opening for a Disney Animation/Pixar movie ever behind only Toy Story 3 and the best Disney Animation/Pixar non-holiday opening ever.
Turning back to Summer Vacation, the HT franchise has been a bright spot for Sony, increasing domestically and internationally. Both previous films were released in the fall, so this is the first summer tryout. HT2 finaled at $303.5M overseas in 2015 with the UK leading, followed by Venezuela (pre-devaluation), Mexico, China and Russia. Combined, the prior two movies have made $831.6M worldwide. The UK, France, Germany, Italy, Korea and the rest of Asia are releasing HT3 throughout the later weeks of July and into August.
Sonys President of International Distribution, Steven ODell, beams at HT3 opening bigger than HT2 in a competitive summer. “We know the multiple is going to be so much stronger because we have all these weekdays. It will be a record-setter for sure for us,” he tells Deadline. Momentum from the family-driven franchises this summer, Jurassic World, Incredibles and Ant-Man certainly helps all boats to rise and HT3 has most of Western Europe to come as well as China where a date is expected after the July blackout.
In China, juggernaut Dying To Survive stayed well and healthy with an estimated $68.5M weekend. The locally-reported gross is $366.6M to date.
Breakdowns on the films above will be updated below.
MORE…
[contf] [contfnew] 
Deadline
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
