"Prada" leads parade at foreign box office

LOS ANGELES - Contrary to the old industry saw that domestic satire doesn't travel well, "The Devil Wears Prada" dominated the weekend box office overseas, collecting an estimated $17.3 million from 35 territories.

Co-starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway and based on Lauren Weisberger's novel about life at a glossy fashion magazine, "Prada" opened at No. 1 in the U.K., ($6.1 million), Spain ($2.1 million) and Finland ($170,000).

France recorded solid sales, with a second-weekend estimate of $2.6 million for a market total of $7.8 million.

"Prada" also ranked No. 1 in its second weekend in Australia, garnering an estimated $1.9 million for a market total of $7.9 million. In its third weekend in Mexico, the box office tally was an estimated $634,000, for a $4 million market total. "Prada's" international gross stands at $45.5 million.

The previous weekend's foreign champ, "World Trade Center," slipped to No. 2 with an estimated $12.5 million from 36 markets. Its overseas total stands at $40 million.

Director Oliver Stone's September 11 drama bowed at No. 1 in the all-important Japan market, grossing an estimated $3.4 million. It also placed in the top spot in Singapore, and finished No. 2 in Norway, Sweden and Israel. The biggest of the holdovers was the U.K., where "WTC" generated an estimated $1.6 million for a market total of $6.4 million.

Coming in third for the weekend was the Adam Sandler comedy "Click," scoring an estimated $8.9 million from 50 territories. So-so openings in France ($600,000) and Portugal ($280,000) were offset by strong second weekends in the U.K. ($2.5 million), Germany ($1.4 million) and Spain ($1.2 million).

With an international total of $73.1 million, "Click" soon will surpass 2004's "50 First Dates" ($75.6 million) as Sandler's biggest overseas box office draw. A $90 million haul for "Click," distributor Sony said, is "assured."

At No. 4 for the frame was "Cars," which wound up with an estimated $3.1 million from 21 territories. Winding down its overseas run, the animation title bowed at No. 1 in Thailand and logged a strong No. 3 showing in its fifth weekend in Germany ($1 million, for a $11.3 million market total).

In all, "Cars" boosted its international gross to $209 million. Its worldwide tally is $452.5 million.

The fifth spot went to "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which garnered an estimated $2.6 million from 33 territories for an international total of $636 million. Its global box office stands at $1.056 billion.

Elsewhere, "The Guardian" bowed at No. 1 in Argentina and Indonesia and also finished first in its second weekend in Israel. "Open Season" bowed at No. 1 in Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and Peru; bows in the U.K. and Mexico are due this weekend.