“How to Train Your Dragon 2” soared to the top of the foreign box office charts this weekend, picking up $37.7 million from 28 markets.
The DreamWorks Animation sequel was powered by a strong debut in China, where the picture picked up $25.9 million. Though “Dragon 2’s” $171 million domestic gross was lower than expected and lagged behind its predecessor, it’s been a monster overseas. Its global gross now stands at $537.2 million, easily topping the $494.8 million made by the first film in the series.
Sliding in at number two, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” padded its global grosses with $33.1 million in receipts from 65 territories. The space adventure debuted in more than a dozen new countries, including France, Spain, Belgium, Jordan and Kuwait. Its worldwide treasury now stands at $418.7 million.
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” topped the domestic box office, but had to settle for bronze at the foreign box office. The Paramount Pictures reptile reboot scored $25.6 million from 28 territories. The picture has earned $185.1 million globally, and debuted last weekend in Argentina and Brazil, where it made $1.1 million and $6 million, respectively.
In fourth place, “Lucy” gunned its way to $22 million from 28 territories, while “The Admiral: Roaring Currents” continued to shatter records in Korea, earning $20 million to capture the fifth spot.
“Roaring Currents” documents a historic naval battle and the sea adventure become the biggest film of all time at the South Korean box office this weekend, having become the country’s first film to sell more than 14 million tickets and to pass the $100 million mark.
“The Expendables 3” flopped badly when it debuted in the United States this weekend, and overseas it’s failing to keep pace with previous films in the action series. The Sylvester Stallone, mercenaries on a mission film, picked up $15 million abroad.
Also of note, Universal’s micro-budget thriller “The Purge: Anarchy” passed $100 million mark at the worldwide box office this weekend with an estimated $101.4 million haul. Not too shabby for a picture that cost $9 million to make.
