"Inglourious Basterds" looked to be topping the foreign box office for a third straight weekend -- until the 3D "The Final Destination" popped out of nowhere on Monday.
The fourth in the thriller series emerged as the weekend's No. 1 title with a foreign take of $15.5 million drawn from about 2,000 screens in 18 territories. "Basterds" ended up with $14.3 million drawn from 35 territories, according to studio estimates.
But the news isn't all bad for the Weinstein Co./Universal release. It has so far grossed $83.3 million overseas, and its total stands at $174 million worldwide -- putting it on track to become the biggest international title to date for a Tarantino film. The director's "Pulp Fiction" grossed $101.9 million internationally in 1994, and 2003's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" grossed $111.4 million overseas.
Newcomers to the foreign circuit included the hot indie "(500) Days of Summer" and "Julie & Julia," both of which grossed close to $2 million.
An amazing story continues to be Fox's "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs," which is on pace to become the third highest-grossing title of all time overseas, behind only "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." With another $10.8 million this weekend, it has so far pulled in $658 million.
Other key overseas titles and grosses-to-date: Pixar/Disney's "Up" ($8.6 million weekend; $168.9 million overseas total), "The Proposal" ($5.6 million; $124.7 million), Sony's "District 9" ($4.6 million; $21.6 million) and Warners' "The Hangover" ($4.7 million; 167.8 million)
