“Avatar” ain’t over over there, either.
James Cameron’s 3D epic dropped a mere 12 percent in overseas markets this weekend, taking the No. 1 spot with an offshore haul of $145 million.
While “Avatar” dropped only 3 percent at the domestic box office in its second weekend, a massive blizzard that pinned North American moviegoers at home during its debut skewed those numbers somewhat.
But overseas, “Avatar” held up on its own -- and its second weekend numbers were pretty remarkable in their own right. Many foreign theaters were shuttered for the Christmas holiday, and anything less than a 50 percent dropoff from a film of this magnitude is considered above par.
“Avatar’s” cumulative total overseas is now $405 million, contributing to the worldwide gross of $617.3 million.
Fox also reported an estimated $2.26 billion overseas box office haul, breaking Warner Bros.’ previous studio record of $2.24 billion in 2007. And “Avatar” certainly helped: Fox said the film finished first in 107 of the 108 territories it played over the weekend.
It’s also Fox’s highest-earning title ever in Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Sherlock Holmes,” debuting in 17 markets overseas, took $26 million – not enough to match the No. 2 spot it won in domestic markets. That distinction went to “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” which generated $36.5 million in 42 territories.
“Holmes” did enough offshore business for third, with Italy giving it the strongest support at $6 million from 451 sites for a $13,303 per screen average.
