MUMBAI: Skyfall, the 23rd installment of the multi-billion-dollar James Bond franchise, expanded its offshore run by 56 markets and grossed an overwhelming $156 million.
Markets handled by distributors, of the film, Sony delivered $139 million of the total with licensees of co-distributor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer raking in $17 million. IMAX reported that its weekend take at 132 locations in 36 territories was $4.3 million.
In just 10 days of its overseas release, Skyfall, the third Bond outing, has made a whopping $287 million. This propelled Sony International to its best year ever on the foreign circuit with total 2012 box office of $2.160 billion.
Skyfall‘s weekend, take this time, nearly doubled the $78.6 million opening foreign weekend gross last round from 6,354 locations in 25 markets, is the third highest of 2012 surpassed only by the offshore weekend revenues logged in late April and early May by Marvel/Disney‘s The Avengers.
A No. 1 German opening delivered $23.9 million, which Sony said was the market‘s biggest-grossing 2012 debut. The U.K.‘s second weekend take was $25.7 million, lifting the 10-day cume there to $85.8 million. France kicked in $14.3 million for a two-round market cume of $30 million.
Italy launched with $7.9 million, a market record for a Hollywood title this year. Russia came up with $5.2 million in Skyfall‘s second round there, pushing the market cume to $16.1 million. Openings in Switzerland, India, Holland and Mexico generated $5.3 million, $5.1 million, $4.4 million and $3.2 million, respectively.
An MGM/Eon/Danjaq co-production, directed by Sam Mendes and filmed in the UK, Turkey, China and France, Skyfall is well on track to become the biggest Bond grosser ever on the foreign circuit.