While American moviegoers were forced to decided between Russell Brand and Russell Brand this weekend -- minotaur genitalia and teen girl assassins were also in play to varying degrees of success -- the rest of the world was introduced to the next major animation franchise. From the makers of the internationally renowned Ice Age franchise, say hello to Rio.
Out Friday stateside, the Twentieth Century Fox film opened in 72 countries over the weekend and grossed an estimated $55 million -- 71 percent of which came from 3-D showings. "This is a fantastic start for a new franchise," Fox International co-presidents Paul Hanneman and Tomas Jegeus said in a statement. "With consistently stellar reviews and excellent word-of-mouth around the world -- as well as no significant family competition ahead -- we are well established to take advantage of the school holidays which begin in the coming weeks."
That the Carlos Saldanha-directed Rio would kick-off away from America isn't all that surprising: the international grosses for the three Ice Age films -- all three of which were directed or co-directed by Saldanha -- have always outpaced the domestic totals, a phenomenon that reached its peak with Ice Age: Dawn of Dinosaurs. Released in 2009, that film grossed just under $200 million domestically, but an eye-popping $690 million internationally.
Anyway! All of this just feels like prologue to the yet-to-happen-but-probably-will announcement about Rio 2, which you should tentatively expect to see sometime in 2013. You can check out Rio in theaters on Friday.
ยท 'Rio' Opens #1 Film In World This Weekend [Deadline]