Box Office: ‘Despicable Me 2’ Rules Overseas, but French Prefer Zombies

Minions take in $88.8M abroad but "World War Z" opens No. 1 in France and crosses $200M internationally

Brad Pitt‘s “World War Z” crossed the $200 million mark at the foreign box office, and even managed to knock off “Despicable Me 2” in France.

That was about the only place Universal’s animated sequel didn’t rule. “Despicable Me 2” was No. 1 in 42 of 46 markets and took in nearly $89 million over the weekend. That lifted its overall international total to $151 million and, with its $142 million domestic haul, upped its worldwide total to $293 million.

Also read: At Just $49M for the 5-Day Holiday Weekend, 'The Lone Ranger' Is a 'John Carter'-Sized Bomb for Disney

The family film's strongest foreign territory was Mexico, where it grossed $15.8 million, and it played strongly throughout Latin America. It held at No. 1 in the U.K. and Ireland with $7.2 million, and has now taken in nearly $36 million there in two weeks. It added $7 million from France in its second week and is up to nearly $17 million there.

“World War Z” led the way in France, debuting to $7.8 million. With an estimated $45.2 million from 54 territories this weekend, its international total is now at $207.4 million. The global haul for Paramount’s thriller is $366 million.

Also read: 'Despicable Me 2' Snaps 'Toy Story 3' Record With $140M Debut

“The Lone Ranger” rode off with $25.3 million from 24 foreign markets, led by $6.6 million from Russia. Those are average numbers, and suggest that "The Lone Ranger" will struggle to break out overseas, where American Westerns are traditionally a tough sell.

The news was better for another Disney release, Pixar’s “Monsters University.” It brought in $29.5 million from 39 overseas regions and raised its international total to $184 million. With its $216 million domestic total, it became the 12th Pixar film to cross the $400 million threshold at the global box office.
 

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