“Les Miserables" hit all the right notes in its U.K. debut this weekend, finishing No. 1 with $13.4 million over the three days.
The opening, which came from 567 theaters and represented a 37 percent share of the market, was Universal’s best ever in the U.K. In all, "Les Miz" brought in $22.5 million from 22 overseas territories and pushed its worldwide gross past $238 million.
"Life of Pi," like "Les Miserables" an Oscar nominee for Best Picture, had another strong week overseas for Fox. It took in $33.2 million from 67 markets, and has now grossed $357 million internationally. It held the top spot in its second week in Russia ($4.4 million) and Australia ($4 million).
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Warner Bros.' "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" raised its international total to $608 million as it grossed $26.1 million from 63 markets. The studio's "Gangster Squad" rolled out in 19 regions and brought in $9.1 million.
Paramount’s Tom Cruise thriller “Jack Reacher’ lifted its overall foreign total to more than $80 million, taking in $17.6 million from 57 countries in its fourth weekend. Its worldwide total is $153 million.
“Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason’ was the previous highest grossing weekend for Universal in the U.K., and it took in $13.2 million in 2004. “Mamma Mia” opened with $10.4 million over three days in 2008.
“Les Miz” also opened No.1 in New Zealand with $625,000 from 81 locations, the biggest opening ever for a musical in that market.
The film, directed by Tom Hooper and starring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe, is holding very strongly in two key Asian territories.
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In Japan, “Les Miz” remained the top MPAA movie for the fourth weekend in a row and dominated the box office with 51% market share. It grossed $3 million at 328 from theaters, giving it a 24-day total of $31.8 million in that country.
In South Korea, the film continued its strong run, taking in $2.8 million at 408 dates for a 20-day total of $33.1 million.