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

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