‘Dunkirk’ Bows To $30M In China; ‘Baby Driver’ Tops $100M Offshore; ‘Despicable 3’ At $995M WW – International Box Office

UPDATE, WRITETHRU: Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk sailed into China this weekend with a No. 1 start and over 50% of the Top 5 films at an estimated $30M (RMB 196M) on 15,000 screens. The full international box office weekend on the Warner Bros title is $36.5M in 60 markets, making it the No. 1 movie at offshore turnstiles this session. The overseas cume is $280M with $458.8M worldwide.

Meanwhile, Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 3 is getting thisclose to the $1B worldwide box office mark. The threequel is expected to reach the milestone sometime later this week. Gru and Dru absconded with $9.9M in 60 markets this frame for an international cume of $736.1M and $994.8M worldwide.

When DM3 crosses $1B, it will be the only film released during the summer period (Memorial Day-Labor Day) to hit the threshold this year. Similarly, in 2016 only one title released in the corridor cracked $1B global, Disney/Pixar’s Finding Dory. In 2015, there were two titles: Jurassic World and Minions — both from Universal.

In other milestones, Sony/TriStar/MRC’s Baby Driver sped across the $100M line internationally with an offshore cume of $102.2M to date, and Italy and Korea still revving their engines.

Approaching $100M globally, Hitman’s Bodyguard, on which we will have details early in the week, had a comScore-reported $14.2M weekend in 27 markets for $42.2M overseas. The cume is $97.1M globally.

Elsewhere, IMAX this weekend took part in a new experiment, launching the pilot episodes of a TV show theatrically. Marvel Television and ABC Studios’ Marvel’s Inhumans is on track to gross $1.1M on 274 screens in 65 offshore markets through Monday. To put that in context, it comps to the domestic-only theatrical run of the Season 4 finale episodes of Game Of Thrones in 2015 which generated $1.4M. Theatrically, the Inhumans eps will continue to premiere in IMAX theaters in Italy and Germany on September 15, and in Korea on September 22.

As the season winds down, there were again no major wide releases this frame. In the next session we’ll see WB’s It, the Stephen King adaptation directed by Andres Muschietti, hit several offshore majors, and Spider-Man: Homecoming swing into the Middle Kingdom.

There, Chinese juggernaut Wolf Warrior 2, which will end its run this month, came in No. 2 this frame and has $848M to date per local reporting. Earlier this week, state authority SAPPRFT projected that Middle Kingdom’s box office sales will hit RMB 55B ($8.36B) this year, a surge over 2016 that’s in large part thanks to the summer action hit.

Box office is slightly abridged today owing to the Venice Film Festival and the Labor Day holiday. Breakdowns on the films above and others have been updated below.

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS
DUNKIRK
With China’s doors now open again after the long six-week summer blackout, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk sailed into the market with a $30M No. 1 start on 15K screens. It was the dominant film at over 50% share of the Top 5. Nolan is well-liked in the Middle Kingdom, although this is a sort of different offering to his previous titles. Still, its Sunday increased from the Friday (Saturday was the best day as per norm) and it came in on par with such recent films as Gravity and The Revenant. The latter, from Alejandro G Inarritu and New Regency, went on to a $59M cume.

Dunkirk more than doubled Nolan’s Inception opening, although that’s not a completely fair comp given the changes in the market since 2010. IMAX results were particularly strong on 436 screens for $5M, Nolan’s 2nd best start in the market. We’ll see how the midweeks go, keeping in mind there is Spider-Man: Homecoming looming next Friday.

Dunkirk also opened in Italy this weekend and the total offshore frame was $36.5M in 60 markets — a drop of 39%. That takes the international cume to $280M and the worldwide total to $458.8M.

Italy’s bow was $3.5M on 606 screens for No. 2 and 42% ahead of Gravity, 5% above Inception and on par with Interstellar.

The UK is still tops in cumes at $69.7M. Japan is the last market to debut and that happens this coming weekend.

ANNABELLE: CREATION
New Line/Warner Bros’ Conjuring franchise installment added $15.6M this weekend on 7,753 screens in 62 international markets. The offshore dollhouse has packed in $164.4M for $253.4M global.

The key opening in the session was Argentina with $2.5M on 343 screens. That’s the industry’s best-ever launch weekend for a horror film as well as the biggest opening weekend for WB in 2017.

In holds, Germany dipped just 12% and has cumed $3.2M; Mexico maintained No. 1 in its 3rd frame for $16.3M to date — topping the lifetimes of The Conjuring and Annabelle the first.

Mexico is the lead market, followed by Korea at $13.8M and Brazil at $10.5M. The UK is next with $9.78M and surpassing the full run of Annabelle. Indonesia rounds out the Top 5 with $9.75M.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS
The estimated weekend total on Luc Besson’s costly sci-fi epic is $12.3M. The full international box office now sits at $170.7M. In its 2nd China frame, the movie fell to 4th place with $6.27M for $58.2M to date. It debuted in Korea to $2.64M in 3rd. France is the top play behind China with $34.9M to date.

DESPICABLE ME 3
As Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 3 hits its final market, it is headed for the $1B worldwide box office mark. The threequel should get there sometime later this week. When that happens, it will be the only film released during the summer period (Memorial Day-Labor Day) to make the milestone. This session was worth $9.9M in 60 markets for an international cume of $736.1M and $994.8M worldwide.

Greece debuted this frame with $698K at No. 1, on par with Minions and Finding Dory. In holds, Italy is still No. 1 in the sophomore session with a total $13.5M to date and Japan is continuing its great run. DM3 is No.2 there in the 7th frame with $60.2M so far.

AMERICAN MADE
After a soft launch in 21 hubs last session, Universal’s Tom Cruise-starrer alit in 14 more markets this weekend, taking in $9.1M. The early international total is $19.8M. There were No. 1s in Cyprus, Hungary, Lebanon, the Middle East, the Netherlands, Portugal and the UAE.

Spain was the top opener at No. 2 with $1.4M, followed by the Netherlands at $469K. Asia bows include Malaysia ($369K), Singapore ($327K) and Thailand ($157K).

The Doug Liman-helmed film held at No. 1 in the UK for a total $3.8M after two sessions and Australia is No. 3 in the sophomore outing with a $3.6M cume.

There are still 30 territories to open over the next three months. Next weekend’s major is Germany.

CARS 3
In its 11th weekend on the offshore track, Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3 fueled up for the first time in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Singapore, opening No. 1 in each. The full weekend was $8.6M in 26 markets for a $192.4M international cume and $343.2M worldwide.

The Denmark deubt ($900K incl previews) was +51% ahead of Finding Dory. The starts in Norway ($800K) and Sweden ($1.3M) were 41% and 8% ahead of Inside Out. Elsewhere, holds were strong in Belgium (+9%), France (+7%), the UK (-5%) and Malaysia (-17%).

China, where Lightning McQueen has $19.2M in the tank and where the Pixar brand still needs to grow, is the No. 1 overseas market to date, followed by France ($17.7M), Japan ($15.9M), Mexico ($15.6M) and the UK ($14.4M). Italy and Germany open later this month.

THE EMOJI MOVIE
Downloading $6.8M on 6,500 screens in 56 markets, Sony’s app movie now has an international cume of $79.2M. Brazil debuted No. 1 with $2M from 793 screens. The UK fell just 14% in its 5th weekend for a local cume of $15.8M, and Russia is now at $5.9M. Australia, Italy and France open over the next weeks.

THE DARK TOWER
Before the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s It opens next weekend, the Columbia/MRC take on his Dark Tower picked up another $6.1M this session from 5,350 screens in 58 markets for an international cume of $53.6M.

ATOMIC BLONDE
Looking at $5.3M in 48 Universal and Sierra/Affinity markets this session, the Charlize Theron-starrer now has an offshore cume of $39.4M and $89M globally. Mexico was Universal’s top opener at No. 2 with $1.2M. Brazil bowed to No. 4 with $884K. Korea did not kick ass at $800K. Three more markets are to come this weekend: Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

BABY DRIVER
The film from Edgar Wright, who’s a jury member here at the Venice Film Festival, has made a fast break past the $100M mark internationally. The weekend on the getaway romance was $4.2M in 50 markets for an overseas cume of $102.2M.

There were no major openings this session. Russia added $1.2M to bring the local total to $4.9M, and China pulled in $535K in its sophomore session for $15.7M. Italy on September 7 and Korea on September 14 are gearing up.

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
The well-reviewed Fox trilogy-ender added $3.2M in 42 markets this session for an overseas cume of $222M. Holds are strong in France (-24%/$22.2M cume) and Germany (-16%/$9.5M cume). This is before China swings into action on September 15 and Japan joins the army on October 13.

GIRLS TRIP
Universal’s breakout comedy is on track to gross $1.9M in 8 markets to bring overseas coffers to $14.4M. The global total is now $126.5M. Australia was a new launch with $1.2M at No. 2. New Zealand bowed to $111K. The UK is seeing a 6th weekend hold that’s down just 13% for a total $10.8M to date. Upcoming next session are the Netherlands, Thailand and Ecuador.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE
Spider-Man: Homecoming (SNY): $1.6M intl weekend (53 markets); $422.1M intl cume – China releases on September 8
Wonder Woman (WB): $1.5M intl weekend (Japan only); $403.7M intl cume
The Beguiled (UNI): $1.1M intl weekend (16 markets); $10.2M intl cume
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (FOX): $905K intl weekend (21 markets); $29.4M intl cume

Related stories

EuropaCorp Ousts Deputy CEO Edouard De Vésinne

'Dunkirk' Grosses $9.6M First Day For No. 1 Spot' In China, Valerian' Grosses $51.7M First Week

In Uneasy Times, The Movies Turn To Winston Churchill

Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter