International
Madagascar 3 No. 1 in foreign theatrical circuit
MUMBAI: DreamWorks Animation‘s Madagascar 3: Europe‘s Most Wanted stepped into the No. 1 box office position on the foreign theatrical circuit by roping in $75.5 million in its opening weekend at 10,148 venues in 28 countries.
The second sequel in the Madagascar franchise took the No. 1 spot in nearly all of its opening markets with the biggest numbers coming from territories mostly outside continental Europe, claimed Paramount, distributor of the film.
France came up as the best European territory where the film‘s opening accounted for $7.6 million from 685 locations. Still, the distributor noted that the France opening was 13 per cent below that of 2008‘s Madagascar: Escape To Africa that went on to gross $423.9 million overseas.
Of the 28 opening territories, only five were Continental and Eastern Europe. Russia came in with $16.4 million from 881 spots while Brazil delivered a record opening of $11 million from 471 situations. The collections in China summed up to $10.4 million from 5,500 venues.
The number two position was held by director-co-producer Ridley Scott‘s horror-sci/fi title Prometheus that loosely linked to his 1979 Alien – which drew $39.2 million in its second weekend on the foreign circuit, playing at 8,263 sites in 50 markets. The 3D title opened in 35 markets of which about eight were in Europe.
It must be said that Prometheus claimed the No. 1 spot for the second straight weekend in the U.K. drawing $4 million in France from 665 situations for a market cume of $12 million over two rounds.
A new market was Australia where Prometheus opened at the No. 1 spot with $6.8 million swept from 635 locations. Openings in 14 more markets including Mexico and Brazil are due this week. IMAX has claimed that Prometheus has grossed nearly $5 million so far at IMAX situations.
At the No. 3 position was Men in Black III that fell 51 per cent from last weekend‘s action based on figures from all territories. The special effects extravaganza in 3D co-starring Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin drew $38.3 millionfrom 14,860 venues in 79 markets.
At number four was Universal‘s Snow White and the Huntsman that collected $24.6 million from 5,261 situations in 52 territories thereby lifting the film‘s foreign box office collections to $83.5 million.
At the No. 5 spot in the weekend was Marvel‘s The Avengers that captured $7.8 million in its seventh round in 54 territories. International cume stands at $824.4 million with the worldwide tally at $1.396 billion. Avengers is just about played out overseas although a key Japan bow is still in its future (17 August).
Paramount‘s The Dictator, the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy, grossed $4.9 million in its fourth round overseas, playing at 2,091 locations in 32 territories and raising its foreign gross total to $70.3 million. Warner Bros.‘ Dark Shadows with Johnny Depp hit the $130-million foreign gross mark after a $4.56 million weekend at 3,268 in 52 markets. Openings in Latin America are due June 22.
International
Moskino and Bollywood: Moscow Film Cluster and Film City Mumbai signed a cooperation agreement
Moscow Film Cluster has signed a cooperation agreement with Film City Mumbai. The parties agreed to cooperate in developing the film industry, promoting shooting locations and supporting filmmakers.
The memorandum was signed on the sidelines of the India International Film Tourism (IIFTC) Conclave in Mumbai. At this forum, the Moscow Film Cluster presented Moscow’s opportunities for film shooting, including infrastructure projects such as Film City Moskino and Film Factory. Special attention was paid to the Moscow rebate system – up to 45% – and the co-production development.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Film City and Moscow Film Cluster provides for the establishment and development of mutually beneficial cooperation in the film industry development, including joint promotion of shooting locations, support for filmmakers, implementation of marketing and industry events, development of incentive support measures and strengthening of economic and cultural interaction between India and Moscow.
The parties also intend to promote the development of the audiovisual sector through the exchange of experience, joint initiatives and the search for opportunities to create new industry partnerships and clusters.
Moscow Film Cluster is a major city initiative led by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to develop the capital into a global cinema hub. It brings together key production infrastructure – such as the Moskino Film Сity, Film Factory and Gorky Film Studio – along with the Film Commission, digital platform and cinema chain to streamline shooting, support productions and attract international filmmaking to Moscow.
Also, Moscow offers a rebate of up to 45%: 30% as direct production cost compensation, up to 15% for visa and accommodation support. The Moscow Image Grant provides up to $255,000 for films showcasing iconic city views.
The Moscow Film Cluster booth attracted considerable attention from Indian producers and studios. Over 80 business meetings were held, including those with major Indian companies.
One of the booth guests was the famous Indian actress Khushboo Sundar, known to Soviet and Russian audiences for her role in My Soul and considered the leading star of Tamil cinema, in whose honor one of the local temples was even built. Prithul Kumar, representative of the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of the officials responsible for regulating the film industry in the country, also expressed interest in the development of the Moscow Film Cluster.
One of the highlights of the India International Film Tourism Conclave was the awarding of The Greatest of All Time in the For Cinematic Excellence category. The movie was shot in Moscow. The jury members noted the project’s contribution to the development of tourism.
The shooting of The Greatest of All Time AGS by Entertainment was organized with the assistance of the Moscow Film Cluster and the Moscow Film Commission and took place in April 2024 on the streets of Moscow. The scenes were shot in such famous locations as Patriarch Bridge, Teatralnaya Square, Manezhnaya Square, Kazarmenny Lane, Podsosensky Lane, Nikolskaya Street and one of the festival venues of Moscow Seasons.
The Greatest of All Time became a landmark event in Indian box office history. It ranked fourth in box office earnings among all movies released in India in 2024 and is one of the most successful Tamil-language movies in history.
At the same time, the shooting of another joint Russian-Indian movie started at the Moskino Film City in Moscow. A film project dedicated to badminton became one of the first participants in the Moscow rebate program.
A project by Smena & WISH Media (Russia) and Kartina Entertainment And Sports Private Limited (India) will tell the story of a badminton player who travels to India with the Russian national team to compete in a tournament. Russian viewers will see for the first time the scale of sporting competitions in Asia, where badminton is a cult sport and draws packed stands of fans.
The agreement on the joint production of the Smash movie was signed st the Moscow International Film Week in August 2025. And as Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, a rebate application was also submitted at that time to reimburse part of the costs incurred during the shooting process in the Russian capital.
