The international box office has taken a major hit because movie theaters in China, Italy, South Korea and other areas heavily impacted by coronavirus have been entirely or partially closed for weeks.
Multiplexes that remained open in various parts of the world were likely still negatively affected by the rapidly spreading virus since audiences opted to stay home amid the public heath crisis. The mass closures of theaters have already resulted in tremendous financial damages, especially in China, which has lost billions of dollars in revenue.
Without stiff competition, Sony’s dark superhero film “Bloodshot,” starring Vin Diesel, claimed the top spot overseas, amassing $13 million from 50 foreign markets. It made an additional $9.3 million in North America, bringing its global haul to $24.4 million. Though coronavirus is undoubtedly impacting all movies, “Bloodshot” is off to a disappointing start since it carries a $45 million production budget. The film had the strongest performance in Russia with $2.4 million, followed by Indonesia with $1.8 million, Mexico with $1.2 million and Malaysia with $610,000.
In second place, Disney’s animated fantasy adventure “Onward” generated $6.8 million from 47 markets, a dismal result for a Pixar film. The film also suffered a brutal 73% decline in North America — amounting to $10.5 million in its sophomore outing — as coronavirus fears start slowing moviegoing in the U.S. and Canada. So far, “Onward” has made $41 million overseas and $101 million globally.
Another Disney film, “The Call of the Wild” starring Harrison Ford, brought in just $1.1 million across 43 foreign territories. That takes its cumulative total to $107 million worldwide, including $45 million from overseas markets.
Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Invisible Man” took third place on international charts, collecting $6.2 million from 65 territories. To date, the Elizabeth Moss-led horror film has made $58.3 million abroad and $122.7 million globally.
Fellow Universal and Blumhouse offering “The Hunt,” new to theaters this weekend, failed to hit the $1 million mark overseas. The R-rated thriller debuted in four markets, where it scraped together $700,000. “The Hunt” also came in well behind expectations in North America with $5.3 million, bringing its global start to $8 million. Among new locations, “The Hunt” launched in the U.K. and Ireland with $673,000 and Sweden with $38,000.
Elsewhere, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” made $2.9 million from 58 markets — a 76% drop — for an international tally of $160 million.
Given the rapid spread of coronavirus, the global box office remains in uncharted waters. Last week, most major studio movies that were supposed to debut over the next two months — including Disney’s “Mulan,” Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II,” Universal’s “Fast 9” and MGM’s “No Time to Die” — were pulled from release. So far, only “Fast 9,” now slated for 2021, has a new release date.
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