‘Maze Runner’ Off to Fast Start at Foreign Box Office
“The Maze Runner” doesn’t open domestically for a week, but international audiences are already embracing the science fiction thriller.
The 20th Century Fox release racked up a strong $8.3 million across five markets last weekend, with debuts that compared favorably to another young adult hit, “Divergent.” “The Maze Runner” is expected to make $30 million when it touches down stateside on Sept. 19.
The film adapts James Dashner’s best-selling novel about a group of teenage boys who must battle vicious creatures and memory loss to survive an elaborate and dangerous maze. Dashner’s book didn’t approach sales of “The Hunger Games” or “Twilight,” but the studio hopes the action-heavy plot will help it appeal to a broader demographic by attracting males as well as females.
Overseas, the film debuted in first place across the board, scoring $2.6 million in Mexico, $2.2 million from Taiwan, $1.9 million from Malaysia, $1.4 million out of Singapore and $248,000 in Central America.
In addition to the United States, “The Maze Runner” will jet across nearly 50 markets next weekend.
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