娱乐英语新闻:New "Transformers" bows at No. 1 overseas

BEIJING, June 23 -- Playing in only Britain and Japan ahead of its worldwide bow on Wednesday, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" nonetheless premiered at No. 1 on the international circuit during the weekend, rolling up a total of almost 20 million U.S. dollars.

    Director Michael Bay's sci-fi action sequel opened at No. 1 in both countries, with 14.1 million dollars from the UK and 5.8 million dollars from Japan.

    The explosive saga of shape-shifting robots, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, outperformed the 2007 original's opening weekends by 71% in the U.K. and 13% in Japan, according to Paramount.

    Placing second was "Terminator Salvation," the top pick for the previous two weekends. The fourth title in the action series, starring Christian Bale, grossed 18.4 million dollars from 74 territories to raise its international total to 200 million dollars.

    "The Hangover" was No. 3 with 11.7 million dollars. Top markets included the UK (3.8 million dollars) and Australia (2.6 million dollars). Its overseas total stands at 30.4 million dollars.

    "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" followed with 10.4 million dollars from 68 markets and hoisted its international total to 192.5 million dollars.

    In fifth place was the No. 1 domestic title, the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "The Proposal," which opened in 10 foreign markets and rang up a solid 10 million dollars overseas tally. No. 1 bows were recorded in Australia (3.3 million dollars), Russia (2.8 million dollars), Belgium and the Netherlands.

    Other foreign totals include: "Angels & Demons," 329.2 million dollars; "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," 183 million dollars; "Star Trek," 122.2 million dollars; "Hannah Montana: The Movie," 51.3 million dollars; "Up," 38.8 million dollars; "State of Play," 35.8 million dollars; "Drag Me to Hell," 18 million dollars; "Land of the Lost," 5.9 million dollars; and "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," 5 million dollars.