“Ice Age: Collision Course” tops foreign box office with $53.5 mln

PanARMENIAN.Net - “Ice Age: Collision Course” doesn’t even hit the U.S. until next weekend, but the latest film in the prehistoric franchise is already doing brisk business overseas, Variety reports.

The Fox sequel topped foreign box office charts, earning a massive $53.5 million from 35 markets. That includes a $7.2 million opening in France, a $5.9 million launch in Russia and a $5.2 million debut in the United Kingdom. In three weeks of release, the film has racked up an impressive $127 million.

The “Ice Age” series has historically been more popular with foreign crowds than domestic ones. The most recent installment, 2012’s “Continental Drift,” did 81.6% of its $877.2 million global total overseas, while its predecessor, 2009’s “Dawn of the Dinosaur,” picked up 77.8% of its $886.7 million worldwide haul in foreign markets. The latest chapter brings back stars Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah for more Paleolithic hijinks.

Family films dominated ticket sales, as Disney and Pixar’s “Finding Dory” swam into second place with $36.5 million from 46 markets. The sequel to “Finding Nemo” opened up in three new markets, including Mexico with $9.4 million, Japan with $6.3 millon and Hong Kong with $1.9 million. Its global total stands at $721.7 million. There are still several foreign markets left to open, such as the United Kingdom at the end of July and Italy in September. Domestically, it is the highest-grossing animated film in history, with $445.5 million.

“The Legend of Tarzan,” an expensive attempt to reboot Edgar Rice Burrough’s pulp novels by Warner Bros., finished in third place for the weekend. The adventure film nabbed $22 million from 56 markets. It has made $193.7 million globally, which would be a fantastic result if not for its $180 million budget.

In fourth place, Lionsgate’s “Now You See Me 2” crossed the $200 million mark, picking up $17.5 million from 77 markets. The heist thriller has earned $203.7 million globally. “Cold War 2,” a Hong Kong-Chinese action film, rounded out the top five, picking up $17.3 million to bring its gross to $87.5 million.