‘Lucy’ Dominates Foreign Box Office, ‘Into the Storm’ Opens in China

Revenge was a dish best served by Scarlett Johansson this weekend as “Lucy” topped the international box office charts with $25 million thanks to a strong opening in Russia.

The thriller was released by Universal and Europacorp and took first place overseas last weekend, as well. It debuted in Russia to $9.6 million in receipts, the biggest premiere for a non-3D film in the country this year. It also opened in Norway, Colombia and Ecuador. There are five more territories remaining on its international rollout — Argentina, Venezuela, Italy, Paraguay and Uruguay.

“Into the Storm” captured second place on the foreign charts after landing in China. The Warner Bros. nasty weather thriller brought in $7.6 million from the People’s Republic.

Two films tied for third place, “Sex Tape” and “The Expendables 3,” with $11.5 million in receipts. Both films flopped domestically, but have performed better abroad. “Sex Tape” racked up $61 million in foreign markets compared to $38.3 million stateside, while “Expendables 3″ has earned $140 million at the foreign box office compared to $38.3 million in the U.S.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” was the fifth highest grossing film overseas, adding another $10.3 million to its total after opening in Australia with $6.3 million. The Paramount Pictures reboot of the long-standing children’s property has made $319.9 million globally. It has a chance of passing “Noah” ($359.2 million worldwide) as the studio’s second-highest grossing film of the year.

The foreign box office also provided a glimpse of future hits to come, after 20th Century Fox debuted “The Maze Runner” in five territories. The young adult thriller picked up a sterling $8.3 million and is expected to dominate the U.S. box office when it debuts domestically next weekend.

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