Update On SPIDER-MAN And ICE AGE 4 Opening Overseas And An Impressive Run For MIB3

It always kind of bothered me that so many websites take the domestic tally at the box office as the primary measurement of success for a movie. Clearly that's wrong and yet so many still only cite domestic take as if it was the only one. Heck Canada is a foreign country and yet is thrown in with the domestic take.

That should soon fade away I hope as the international box office plays a larger and larger role. The studios have finally recognized it and have begun releasing their tentpoles in foreign countries weeks if not months prior to North American venues.

Take ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT which took in am impressive $78m and first place in ALL of its markets. Fox's marketing overseas has been done very well yet again, like with the "Sid Shuffle" being shot all over the world.


Or how about THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN which opened with $50.2 - it is doing better than THE AVENGERS in South Korea (which also opened overseas first). SPIDER-MAN also had the highest ever Hollywood launch in India ($6m) thanks to the appearance of Irrfan Khan, a Bollywood star.

Want more proof? How about MEN IN BLACK 3. It has grossed a HUGE $429.8m overseas and what did it do domestically so far? $169.6m. Clearly the foreign market is MORE important than domestic for some movies. MIB3 is now the highest grossing of its franchise.

We'll continue to watch these tentpoles as they open in more markets, including North America. SPIDER-MAN opens tomorrow here (midnight screenings tonight - free posters!) and ICE AGE 4 on July 13.

Stat source: Box Office Mojo

Watch: Scrat's ICE AGE 4 Featurette Parodies THE ARTIST!

Those of you (and there are many!) who love the ICE AGE franchise will love this featurette too. The movie's creative artists have adapted some past clips to black & white and have added some silent movie touches to mimic Oscar nominee THE ARTIST.

Interesting approach. Nothing really new as far as clips are concerned as far as I can see, but I like that the movie marketeers are so in tune with current industry events. You don't see the other animations out this year doing such clever pieces (not yet anyway).

ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT opens July 13.

Enjoy the clip!

MUST WATCH: Teaser Clip With ICE AGE's Scrat - CONTINENTAL CRACK-UP

Man I love Scrat! He is the flag-bearer for modern animation comedy if you ask me. You are going to love this teaser preview of the short entitled: SCRAT'S CONTINENTAL CRACK-UP. Want to see the whole animated stereoscopic short? It will be pre-rolling in front of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS when it opens Christmas day.

I have a sinking feeling about GULLIVER'S TRAVELS however. Nothing in the trailers is really appealing to me. This short may be the best part of going to see the Jack Black comedy.

Here's the official outline for the short:
The special holiday treat sees Scrat still scrambling after the cursed acorn he’s been craving since the first Ice Age film. Only this time, the chase has world-changing consequences. Forget what you’ve learned in geology about the continents forming as a result of massive tectonic shifts and volcanic eruptions tearing land masses apart. SCRAT’S CONTINENTAL CRACK-UP reveals that these seismic… crack-ups… came about from Scrat’s nutty misadventures.

Check out the clip!