"Pirates" soars to top of international box office

By Frank Segers

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" overwhelmed the international box office for the second consecutive weekend, making off with an estimated $105.4 million (53 million pounds) from 103 markets.

Its foreign total stands at $408.8 million. Worldwide, including North America, "At World's End" has grossed $625.3 million to date.

"At World's End" is the 24th film in industry history to have grossed more than $400 million overseas, and the fifth Disney title to pass that milestone.

The latest in the "Pirates" film already has grossed 16% more than the final international total ($350 million) of 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and 60% of the final overseas gross ($642 million) accumulated by last year's "Dead Man's Chest."

The weekend's only new market was India, where "At World's End" made off with an estimated $1.4 million, 50% more than the combined opening gross in the market of the first two "Pirates" titles. It was the market's third-biggest opening ever, Disney said.

"At World's End" was No. 1 with mighty market share everywhere. In Japan, it earned $11.5 million (off just 4%), for a market total of $35.5 million. In the U.K., the weekend tally also was $11.5 million (down 49%), for a total of $57 million.

Meanwhile, "Spider-Man 3" registered a weekend estimate of $11.8 million from 77 territories, lifting its overseas total to $525.7 million. Sony said it now ranks as the 12th-biggest overseas box office hit in industry history, one notch behind last year's "The Da Vinci Code," which grossed $539.7 million. Worldwide, "Spider-Man 3" has earned $844 million in five weeks.

"Zodiac" performed well despite the tentpole onslaught, grossing $5.8 million from 38 territories. The crime drama's overseas total stands at $26.4 million.