SUNDAY UPDATE, WRITETHRU: Tom Cruise ruled the international box office this weekend as Paramount Pictures/Skydance’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout took the No. 1 spot with $76M in 56 markets. That hikes the overseas total to an estimated $205M through Sunday, and the global cume to $329.5M. At the same stage of play and in like-for-like markets, Fallout is 21% ahead of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

The drop from the record-breaking opening last session — when China’s Hello Mr Billionaire was nevertheless the top film internationally — was 53%. The Middle Kingdom will welcome Fallout on August 31, and is expected to play a sizable role in just how high the global gross goes with $800M worldwide not out of the question. As it did with Rogue Nation, Alibaba Pictures has a stake here and that last film set China records during its release.

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Sticking with this frame, however, there were 20 additional markets getting in on the action including France, Japan. Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. All were No. 1s and above Rogue Nation and its predecessor, Ghost Protocol. Japan was the lead hub on the first three films in the series (it slid to 2nd place as China took over on the last two) and this weekend grossed $8M from 367 cinemas to outpace Rogue Nation by 19%. Korea continues to lead all play at $41.5M (holding well against local opener Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days).

Also of particular note, Norway’s $1.6M at 127 launch is the best for the franchise, for Cruise and for Paramount. It follows last week’s hiking/screening stunt atop Pulpit Rock which features during the movie’s last section (see below).

Among overall Fallout records for the weekend, 13 new markets had the top M:I franchise opening; 9 were the best ever for Cruise; and 8 set IMAX records for the series. In the format, M:I6 has seen audiences accept their mission to the tune of $10.6M overseas and $25.1M globally.

Universal In new entries, Disney’s Christopher Robin ($4.8M/18 markets) and Fox’s The Darkest Minds ($4.1M/37 markets) started staggered release in a frame that was more about the holdovers. To wit: Universal’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again dropped just 36% across 53 markets and is 28% above the previous film at current rates and in like-for-likes. Meanwhile, the studio’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has topped $50M in Japan and next week will surpass Transformers: Age Of Extinction to become the lucky No. 13 film ever at the international box office.

Disney/Pixar’s Incredibles 2 joined JWFK in the billion-dollar club earlier this week and has through Sunday grossed $1.047B worldwide with markets still to come. I2 is now the No. 4 highest-grossing animated release ever, topping Zootopia, Finding Dory and Despicable Me 3. Its big addition this session was Japan with $7.7M in a 5-day opening, to come in No. 2 behind Mission.

And, in other mile-markers, Sony’s Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation sailed past $200M in offshore waters, and breezed across $300M globally.

Next weekend will see wide rollout, minus some majors, on Warner Bros/Gravity Pictures’ prehistoric shark tale The Meg. Starring China catnip Jason Statham, it goes to the Middle Kingdom on Friday including on 550 IMAX screens there.

Breakdowns on this week’s films have been updated below.

HOLDOVERS/EXPANSIONS

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT

Paramount Paramount/Skydance’s sixquel revved the engines to a $76M sophomore frame internationally to take the offshore cume to $205M and the global tally to $329.5M. In 56 total markets, Fallout is gunning 21% ahead of Rogue Nation at the same stage of play. That film finaled at $683M worldwide.

In 13 of Fallout’s 20 new markets, it set an opening record for the franchise as well as setting the biggest Tom Cruise start in nine. France, where a large part of the film was shot, opened to $8M from 705 locations to log a debut that’s 57% bigger than Ghost Protocol and 1% over Rogue. France is in the throes of a devastating heatwave which likely had a role in the movie not topping Rogue by a bigger percentage.

Japan, the lead market on the first three movies and the 2nd hub on the last two, got off to an $8M start as well, from 367 cinemas. That’s +24% on GP and +19% on Rogue. Australia was also new, with $5M from 304 and 45% of the market share. It’s the best start for the franchise and is well above the last two movies. Germany’s $3.8M from 600 was good for 31% of the market and +7% on GP, +9% on Rogue. The Netherlands jumped in with $1.8M at 127 for the best M:I and Cruise bows.

As noted above, Norway’s leap was the best for the franchise, Cruise and Paramount. With 57% of the market, it started at $1.6M from 127. That’s 156% over GP and 108% above Rogue. Denmark hit the same milestones with $1M at 101 and Sweden bowed to $956K in 122 cinemas, also the best for the series and Cruise.

Korea leads all play, holding with an $8.6M weekend despite the mega-arrival of sequel Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, and has now cumed $41.5M. The UK is next with a 50% drop for $18.7M to date.

Other major cumes include India (-75%/$12.9M cume), Taiwan (-36%/$9.9M cume), Indonesia (-54%/$9.4M), Mexico (-52%/$9.1M) and Brazil (-35%/$7.5M).

Italy is the next major on August 29, followed by China on August 31.

MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Universal Universal’s singing sequel is now running 28% ahead of the original film with $139.2M overseas for $230.5M worldwide. The weekend added $19.3M in 53 markets. One of the new ones was China which didn’t exactly dance down the aisles. The gross there was $323K in only 700 locations, a very low number of sites in a corridor that is predominantly focused on local fare. The first Mamma Mia! did not open in China.

Overall, however, the drop was 36% with the top markets holding well including the UK (-40%), Germany (-22%), Australia (-37%), France (-43%), the Netherlands (-25%) and Spain (-45%).

The UK is at $51.7M (+50% on the original at the same stage) through Sunday and kept the ABBA musical playing in the No. 1 position for the 3rd consecutive frame. Australia has grossed $12.3M to date to stay in line with the previous movie, as is Germany at $11.3M so far.

In new openings, Brazil bowed with $1.2M at 448 locations for the biggest opening day and weekend of a musical — and 225% better than Mamma Mia! 1. India’s opening doubled the first movie at $133K in 171 locations.

There are stil 16 markets to come including Korea, Russia, Mexico, Japan and Italy.

INCREDIBLES 2

Disney After hitting the $1B mark earlier this week, Incredibles 2 has powered to $1.047B globally, including $583.1M domestic and $463.9M international. Worldwide, it’s the 4th biggest animated film ever and the 27th overall.

The weekend was good for $19M in 42 markets including new entries Japan and Spain. Opening on a non-traditional Wednesday in Japan, the 5-day was $7.7M ($3.5M for just Sat/Sun). That gave it the No. 2 slot for a Western film behind Mission. In the slow-burn market, it’s set up to play through the lucrative Obon holiday period.

In Spain, Incredibles 2 opened to an estimated $4.5M and No. 1. Boding well, the Saturday gross was the 2nd biggest opening Saturday ever for an animated film there. Holds were strong in Belgium (-22%), France (-34%), Israel (-36%) and Australia (-41%).

The weekend also propelled the Parr family to become the top Disney Animation/Pixar release of all time in New Zealand and the highest grossing Pixar release ever in Taiwan.

The Top 5 markets are China ($53.5M), the UK ($52.2M), Mexico ($37.2M), Brazil ($35M) and Australia ($33.1M). The next, and final, major openings come in September with Italy and Germany.

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3: SUMMER VACATION

Sony Pictures Sony’s monsters scared up $18M this session to sail past the double and triple century marks. Internationally, the total is now $202.3M for $338.8M worldwide. Drac and the pack were down just 42% in 57 markets overall.

Sophomore weekends were strong in France ($8.5M cume) and the UK ($10.2M° while Germany dipped only 14% in the third frame for a cume of $11M. Latin America continues to deliver new lifetime records for the franchise with Mexico, in its 4th week, the latest market to join the club.

Mexico leads all play at $24.1M, followed by Brazil ($16.8M), Russia ($16.5M), Australia ($13.3M) and Spain $11.7M). Still to come are Korea this week followed by China on August 17 and Italy on August 22.

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Disney In their 5th weekend Ant-Man And The Wasp scurried to another $11.2M in 47 markets. The international cume is now $230.8M for $426.3M worldwide. The movie also got its China date this week which is teed up for August 24.

The UK gave the insects a No. 2 welcome (No. 1 with previews) at $6.5M to debut ahead of the original film. Notable holds include Israel (-10%), South Africa (-29%), Belgium (-31%), Denmark (-32%), Sweden (-33%), Germany (-44%), Singapore (-44%), Czech Republic (-45%), Australia (-45%), France (-46%) and Austria (-46%).

Korea leads play with $42.4M to date, followed by Mexico ($14.8M), Australia ($13.9M), Russia ($12.7M) and Brazil ($12.5M). Before China buzzes aboard, Italy opens August 14. Japan goes August 31.

SKYSCRAPER

In 65 Universal markets, Dwayne Johnson’s action title added $5.2M for a $123.2M international gross and $187.7M worldwide. China has now reached $94M via Legendary East, adding $3M in the session. Together, that’s $281.7M global. The movie has topped Johnson-starrers San Andreas and Rampage in 22 and 30 markets, respectively. Japan is still on deck September 21.

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

Universal Pictures In 63 markets, the dinosaurs thrashed out another $5.9M for $854.5M at the international box office. The global tally through this weekend is $1,260.1M. Japan is eating up Universal/Amblin’s sequel with a cume that has now reached $51.7M after four frames. In Mexico, JWFK has surpassed the lifetime of the previous movie. Overall, JWFK will top Transformers: Age Of Extinction ($858.6M) next week to become 13th biggest title ever offshore.

THE FIRST PURGE

Universal Pictures From Universal and Blumhouse, The First Purge slayed another $4.7M in 39 markets this session. The offshore total is $53.2M for $120.9M worldwide where it is the biggest movie in the franchise. It is also the best of the series in 27 individual markets.

Openings included Russia with $851K at 806 locations and more than doubling the previous titles in the series. Central America’s $447K at 140 sites is also the best of the franchise and has topped the lifetime of the first movie. In Peru, The First Purge exceeded the cumes of all the previous films with $436K at 99. And in Malaysia, $350K bought TFP a start that’s in line with Election Year.

Among the top grossing markets are Mexico ($9.48M), the UK ($7.2M), France ($7M) and Germany ($5.4M). Colombia bows next weekend followed by Brazil on September 27.

MISC UPDATED CUMES/NOTABLE

Ocean’s 8 (WB): $1.5M intl weekend (47 markets); $135.7M intl cume

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (WB): $1.1M intl weekend (13 markets); $2.4M intl cume

The Equalizer 2 (SNY): $940K intl weekend (11 markets); $7.7M intl cume

LOCAL-LANGUAGE

Well Go Korea‘s Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, the sequel to last year’s smash fantasy that is the 2nd highest-grossing movie ever at the local box office, opened to a lofty $45.8M. Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, it follows the journey of three Afterlife Guardians and Su-hong as they work through their 49th trial in order to win reincarnation and slowly recover forgotten memories through the Household God in the living world. In IMAX, the movie had a $65K per-screen average for $1.1M on 17.

IMAX also has screens in China on Hello Mr Billionaire which has now grossed $5M in the format. Overall, it’s reached about $294M after just two weekends. Also notable in China, Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters lifted $7.1M in its opening, according to local estimates.

PREVIOUS FRIDAY: Mission: Impossible – Fallout kept the action going during the midweeks to rise to $141.9M at the international box office through Thursday. Overseas, Tom Cruise’s latest turn as Ethan Hunt is now running 22% above Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation at the same stage of play and in like-for-like markets. The global total through yesterday is $231.4M. The movie will cross the $200M mark offshore and $300M worldwide this weekend.

In a rather spectacular event this week, 2,000 moviegoers hiked two hours up and two hours down to attend a screening atop Pulpit Rock in Forsand, Norway — the location used for the film’s final stretch. The screening was held at 11PM on August 1 after tickets sold out in 20 minutes in mid-July. Cruise couldn’t attend, but he sent a pre-taped message and posted the below on his Instagram afterwards.

Elsewhere, Paramount Pictures/Skydance’s sixquel is adding 20 markets this session, including Japan, France and Australia. Notably on Wednesday, Fallout traveled to France where a large part of the film was shot. The total through two days is $3.7M. Including previews, it’s the best start for the franchise in the Hexagon.

Australia opened to $1.1M, 30% above Rogue Nation.

Also new this weekend will be Japan which opens today. It’s a sizable Mission hub having been the lead offshore market on the first three movies in the series, and No. 2 behind China on the last two. China has an August 31 release date.

In Korea, the total through Thursday is $34.7M. Fallout is holding well against the arrival of local title Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days, a sequel to last year’s action fantasy Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds which is the 2nd highest grossing movie in Korea’s box office history.

The Top 5 markets overseas on Rogue Nation were China, Japan, Korea, the UK and France.

The action-packed Fallout, directed by Christopher McQuarrie, had a record-breaking start last weekend for the franchise domestically, internationally and globally and with runway ahead is expected to top $700M worldwide.