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UPDATED MONDAY after Sunday AM post: Colleen Hoover fever came back at the box office as the feature take of the author’s novel Verity starring Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett scored her second best global debut ever at $62.1 million worldwide. That files behind the 2024 blockbuster It Ends With Us, in like-for-likes, which was $95.6M WW.
Meanwhile, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s $160M net-costing Tom Cruise political satire Digger was buried with a $20M global debut ($12M abroad; $8M stateside) in sixth place; in no way is it close to One Battle After Another, which began at $48.5M WW reported in 74 territories a year ago but became Paul Thomas Anderson’s highest-grossing movie ever at $213.2M WW.
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Verity also had more magic than the reported global opening of Warner Bros’ Practical Magic 2, which began with $46M WW in 77 offshore territories.
With a $40M net production cost, Verity continues to underscore Amazon MGM Studios’ mark in the female content space; its Prime Video side is rallying with series such as Off Campus and Elle to name a few.
Verity was also more vivacious than the global starts of Hoover’s Regretting You ($23.6M in 43 markets) and Reminders of Him ($28.1M WW, 57 markets) in reported global launches. In several offshore markets, Verity was ahead of Reminders of Him and Regretting You. The Housemaid, another global crowd-pleaser based on the book by Freida McFadden, isn’t necessarily the comp here given its staggered rollout and year-end holiday boost. Still, Verity slayed Housemaid in its openings in the UK (No. 1 $4.5M 950 screens), Brazil ($3.8M at 715 screens, No. 1) and Australia ($3.1M 500 screens for a No. 1 rank). We told you heading into the weekend that Verity presales were already ahead of It Ends With Us in Brazil’s. Mexico’s $1.5M No. 2 rank at 1,522 screens is to be commended as the market is mostly known for driving business via genre and family pics.
Word flowed into Amazon international from foreign offices that Verity wasn’t just a female-skewing movie (in the U.S, with its $32.6M start, it drew 78% female). Rather, it pulled in non-literary lovers and dudes as well. Macho movie markets like Norway ($400K, 200 screens at No. 1), Turkey and Ukraine ($370K from 235 screens, No. 1 where it’s the biggest opening for a Hoover book adaptation) are to be commended.
Best starts for Hoover were also seen in Portugal ($575K at 60 screens, No. 1) and Hungary ($318K at 70 screens, No. 1).
Lots of No. 1s here with Germany ($3.8M at 715 screens), Netherlands ($590K at 115 screens), Austria ($380K from 68 screens), Sweden ($375K at 120 screens), Switzerland ($330K at 70 screens), Belgium ($320K at 65), Argentina ($300K from 190 screens) and Greece ($245K from 106 screens) as well as Lithuania ($205K from 18 screens), Finland ($190K at 110 screens) and Israel ($185K at 37 screens).
Pic was best MPA title in UAE ($670K at 91 screens) as well as India with $500K at 350 screens, just 12% behind It Ends With Us which is remarkable. U.S. genre has been working in the market with Obsession rallying there.
The Michael Showalter-directed title kissed $1.7M in France at 384 screens for No. 2, Spain grossed $825K from 382 screens and ranked No. 4, Italy romanced $760K at 312 screens for No. 3, Saudi Arabia $535K from 105 screens ranked No 4, New Zealand was $370K from 110 screens No. 2, Poland was $240K from 152 screens No. 3, Colombia $238K at 140 screens No. 4, Colombia $238K from 140 screens and No. 4 while Philippines grossed $233K from 168 screens and ranked No. 3.
Taiwan and the CIS region open next weekend, with Slovakia and Vietnam the weekend after. Korea opens October 22 and Japan on November 6.
Brad Pitt and Odin in ‘Heart of the Beast’
Paramount Pictures
Paramount’s The Heart of the Beast continued to beat not just stateside with a great $10.8M second-weekend hold, but also around the world with a $32.3M take in second place on the global chart. Of that second frame was $21.5M in 66 territories with an overall running cume of $98.7M. China opened to $2.1M at 7,300 theaters including previews, while Turkey pulled in $225K at 194 sites with previews.
France’s second weekend was $3M, No. 1 in the market, -17%, for a cume of $7.6M. Mexico had a second frame of $2M, also No. 1, and down 17% for a tally there of $5.1M. UK’s $1.6M second weekend at 554 sites ranked third, -22%, for a cume of $5.5M. Spain did a $1.1M second frame at 392 locations, No. 2, -25%, for a local cume of $3.6M. Australia posted $1.1M No. 2 in second frame at 290, -17%, for a total of $3.3M, and Germany grossed $955K in second weekend at 428 theaters, No. 3, +2% for a cume of $2.3M. The Heart of the Beast storms into Korea on October 29.
A hot third place was China’s local champ Traces of Justice, with a big $31.2M for a cume since October 1 of $41.8M per Artisan Gateway. The movie is directed by Detective Chinatown helmer Chen Sachet and stars Zhang Yi, Li Ma, Li Xuejian, Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng and Chen Feiyu. Pic’s blurb: Criminal police officer Cui Xun has been working for over half a century, and together with his colleagues, he has repeatedly solved major cases. This detective, adhering to his original aspiration of “serving the people,” has witnessed not only the development of public security but also the rise of New China. There were no U.S. theatrical releases in the top 5 in China which kicked off the Golden week holiday stretch.
Ranking second in the Middle Kingdom but eighth in the overall global chart is Beijing Joy Fun Pictures’ comedy Mr. & Mrs. Pardon with $17.3M over the weekend and a cume since October 1 of $24.5M. Directed by Shen Chunyang, pic centers on a middle-aged couple grappling with the “seven-year itch”—for the third time. Their mandatory thirty-day divorce cooling-off period is poised to play the final movement of their marriage.
Austin Abrams in ‘Resident Evil’
Sony Pictures Releasing/Everett Collection
Fourth went to Sony/Constantin’s Resident Evil‘s third frame, which was $29.2M WW ($12.6M domestic, $16.6M overseas in 65 markets on 7,900+ screens), with an overseas cume of $120.5M and another $125M domestic for a global haul of $245.5M (Weapons still remains Zach Cregger’s top-grossing movie at $270M WW). Top markets for Resident Evil include the UK ($15M after a $1.8M weekend), Mexico ($1.3M frame and a near $11M cume), Germany ($1.2M weekend, $6M cume), Australia ($1.1M weekend, $7.4M cume), France ($1.3M weekend, $6.6M cume) and Spain ($850K frame, $6.3M total).
Indian crime title Drishyam – The Conclusion was fifth on the global chart with an opening of $28.2M WW ($25.4M from 17 territories, and $2.7M in the U.S.).
Seventh belonged to Disney/Marvel Studios’ Avengers Endgame: Encore which as we told you reclaimed its status as the highest-grossing movie ever around the world, ahead of Avatar with $2.9255 billion. The re-release’s second weekend was $18.8M WW ($14.4M int’l, $4.4M domestic) for a running total second time around of $126M WW ($89.8M abroad, $36.2M in U.S./Canada).
Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island did $12M WW ($4.8M int’l in 46 markets, $7.2M domestic) for a $38.5M WW ($14.8M int’l cume, $23.6M stateside) running tally. New openers included Netherlands with $300K (including $136K from previews). School holidays begin next weekend. Poland also counted $300K ($70k previews). Switzerland had $152K ($46K previews) across German- and French-speaking areas. Colombia debuted to $119K, No. 7 in the market with school holidays going through October. 12 there. The Philippines dipped 23% for the weekend to add $1M for a cume of $2.9M. This sails Forgotten Island past the lifetime of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, having surpassed Elemental and Hoppers earlier in the week.
Uni’s The Odyssey is No. 10 with $8.8M WW ($1.3M domestic, $7.5M abroad in 84 markets), still the studio’s highest ever at $1.76B ($1.1B int’l and $620M domestic). Finally, The Odyssey became Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing movie in the market, clicking past Interstellar (¥755.1M) after a $1.3M weekend and $113.2M cume. The pic is the second highest-grossing MPA title in Korea after Avatar 2, it’s ninth weekend counting $1.6M and a running total of $99M through Sunday.