International box office: 'Smurfs' shove 'Harry Potter' from top spot

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Little blue creatures overtook Harry Potter's magic, as The Smurfs climbed to the top spot at the box office internationally, knocking Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 from its month-long grip in first place.

A 3D animated and live-action film based on the Belgian cartoon The Smurfs pulled in $60 million in 44 markets internationally to take the top spot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The film had a $12.5 million five-day opening in China, while a first place bow in Russia delivered $4.4 million and the UK debut added $6.5 million - for a total of $141.1 million since opening July 27.

In second this last weekend, Rise of the Planet of the Apes edged out the competition with $40.5 million from 40 territories, adding to an international total of $75 million.

The reboot of the 1960 and ‘70s film franchise hit the top of the box office in the US again with $27.5 million and also went to first place in the UK with $9.6 million. In France, Apes earned an impressive $8.7 million. The film expands to South Korea next weekend with Brazil and Mexico follow.

In third place, Deathly Hallows earned $30 million from 61 markets, contributing to the $857.8 million outside the US for a total $1.2 billion worldwide.

The fourth-place film internationally was Green Lantern, which finally performed two months after its release with $14.2 million. The comic superhero took on a debut in Australia of $3.1 million from 400 locations and a strong debut in Mexico of $4.3 million.

In fifth place, Cars 2 still hung in after eight weeks with a total of $13.1 million collected from 45 markets. A grand total for the 3D animated film stands at $476 million.

Other films of note include Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Captain America: The First Avenger, collecting $12.5 million from 62 markets and $2 million from 45 territories, respectively.

Off to a slow start, Cowboys & Aliens debuted with $7 million in 14 markets, including Russia, which delivered $2.8 million. The sci-fi-western hybrid starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford rolls out worldwide through September.

RC