Before Captain America: First Avenger was released in July, much was made about how the title -- and title character in his red, white and blue -- would play in foreign markets. In fact, three countries (Russia, Ukraine and South Korea) even decided to release the film with the Marvel-approved shortened title The First Avenger. Following a successful showing stateside, good ol' Cap made his worldwide debut in many big foreign markets over the weekend; as the numbers trickle in, it looks he's got some pretty enthusiastic allies.
The original post used numbers solely from Box Office Mojo; it has been updated following response from Paramount regarding the worldwide Captain America gross.
Like Mexico! According to numbers reported by Box Office Mojo, Captain America dominated the Mexican box office last weekend, earning a shade over $8 million from 1,690 venues to easily defeat weekend three of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The Joe Johnston-directed film also grossed more in its first weekend south of the border than Thor did, though -- to be fair -- the Norse god opened on nearly 600 less screens.
It wasn't just Mexico where Captain America hit: the film earned $6.9 million from just 527 screens in Brazil; in Australia, Cap grabbed just over $5 million with an additional $4.9 million coming from the United Kingdom. (Incidentally, in those territories, Thor claimed bigger openings, including a lofty $9.1 million from UK ticket buyers.)
Captain America even did well -- relatively speaking -- in Serbia & Montenegro, finishing second behind Harry Potter during its opening weekend with $7,869 in ticket sales from four theaters; its per screen average was higher than Potter (which is playing there in 12 theaters), for reference.
Overall, Captain America: The First Avenger has earned a reported $65,863,605 internationally thru Aug. 2 (Paramount has CA at $53.9 million thru Aug. 1), with tallies from openings in France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Greece, Egypt and Austria yet to come. As for Russia, Ukraine and South Korea: Captain America The First Avenger has yet to debut in those countries, but Movieline will update its progress there when numbers become available. UPDATE: Per Paramount, Captain America actually did premiere in Russia and South Korea, where it grossed $4.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively. Score one for the non-American title!
Below, the top 10 foreign markets for Captain America:
1. Mexico: $8,102,190
2. Brazil: $6,885,569
3. Australia: $5,061,705
4. United Kingdom: $4,899,096
5. Russia: $4,200,000 (estimate from Paramount)
6. Italy: $2,827,021
7. Korea: $2,500,000 (estimate from Paramount)
8. Philippines: $2,103,025
9. Taiwan: $1,939,705
10. Singapore: $1,691,249
[Figures also via Box Office Mojo]