Madagascar races to millions

2009-01-06 16:00

Los Angeles - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa led the foreign box office for the fourth time in five weekends as the overseas tally for the animal cartoon raced to $340m - about $2m more than the final total of its 2005 predecessor.

Madagascar 2, which began its slow international rollout in late October, earned an estimated $32.2m from 60 countries during the weekend.

It opened at No 1 in Poland with $3.8m, while in Germany it earned $4m, followed by $39.5m in France.

In its second weekend on the international circuit, Australia drew an estimated $21.7m from 51 territories for an international total of $82.7m. The period epic topped the charts in Germany, Spain, Sweden and Denmark.

Third was Bedtime Stories, the family feature with Adam Sandler, which registered $21.2m from 22 markets for an overseas total of $44m.

Tied for the fourth spot were the sci-fi remake The Day the Earth Stood Still and the Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man, with each drawing an estimated $12m.

The Day the Earth Stood Still, now in 63 territories, boasts an international total of $128.6m.

Yes Man has pulled in $34m from 21 markets; it opened at No 1 in Australia with $3m.

- Reuters