Harry Potter - Tintin Debuts With $55.8 Million Overseas


Overseas, Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin The Secret of the Unicorn had a solid debut in 19 countries, where it collected $55.8 million. Some 38 percent of that amount came from France, where the film opened with $21.5 million, the second biggest opening in that country this year after the final Harry Potter installment. Likewise, the movie was No. 2 for the year in Belgium, the home country of its creator, Hergé. The movie does not open in the U.S. until December 21. And while many reports maintain that the studio has delayed the domestic debut in hopes of garnering strong word-of-mouth -- presumably through social-network sites -- there are numerous examples of films performing solidly abroad, then tanking in the U.S. after a delay in the distribution process. One need look no further than the recent Rowan Atkinson comedy, Johnny English Reborn , which had earned more than $100 million overseas (its total is now up to $133 million) before debuting in the U.S. with just $3.8 million (it's now up to $4.5 million).