Hey, American “Twilight” fans: What’s your excuse?
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” stayed atop the international box office, dropping only 22 percent from its opening weekend to gross $81.1 million. Back home in North America, the vampire film slid 49 percent to gross $33 million – better than expected, but still not on par with the foreign circuit.
"Eclipse" did particularly well in Great Britain, where it earned $21 million -- the year’s biggest opening there.
“Shrek Forever After,” which is still just debuting in many major markets, came in second, taking $56.2 million overall from 7,022 venues in 47 territories. The Dreamworks film has grossed $210 million in offshore markets to date, with more to come.
Another latecomer to the world market, “Toy Story 3,” came in third with $39.1 million in 6,992 venues and 39 territories. Pixar/Disney has taken $213.1 million from the film so far, which is just over halfway through its worldwide rollout.
Fox’s “Predators” opened No. 4 in offshore markets, with $18 million from 3,094 locations; and No. 5 was Sony's “The Karate Kid,” which took in $12.3 million at 1,485 screens in 27 markets.
