LOS ANGELES: Harry Potter led the worldwide box office for a second weekend on Sunday, but the heroic boy wizard had a close shave with a hairy princess in North America.The seventh movie in the hit franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," sold $163.5 million worth of tickets globally, led by a $50.3 million haul in the United States and Canada, distributor Warner Bros. said.
Of the 62 foreign markets, the best score came from France, where the film opened at No. 1 with $19.1 million -- the country's best start of the year. After two weekends the worldwide total stands at about $610 million.
But the fearless schoolboy almost lost his North American crown to Rapunzel, the hirsute heroine in the new Walt Disney Co 3D cartoon "Tangled." The fairy tale earned $49.1 million for the three days, far exceeding industry forecasts.
Along with three other films, "Tangled" opened on Wednesday, one day ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday, giving it a five-day total of $69 million. Pundits had forecast a five-day haul of about $40 million.
Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said the film played strongly with families, and many little girls dressed up as princesses for the occasion.
Internationally, "Tangled" earned $13.8 million after opening at No. 1 in six of seven markets. Russia led the way with $7.5 million, a record for a Disney cartoon. It adds eight markets next weekend, including France and Italy. Pop singer/actress Mandy Moore voices the heroine.
The other three new releases all performed to the expectations of their respective studios.
No comments:
Post a Comment