**Paramount's 'Smile 2' and DreamWorks' 'The Wild Robot' Make Strong Global Box Office Debuts**

Paramount's "Smile 2" has made an impressive global debut, drawing equal crowds in both domestic and international markets, each raking in $23 million. This staggering performance sums up to a $46 million global launch. The horror sequel premiered in 62 markets, significantly outperforming its predecessor with a 41% bigger offshore debut when compared to the original "Smile." Notably, it set new records as the biggest Paramount horror debut in 13 markets, including Italy and Spain, and the largest horror opening of 2024 in countries such as France, Germany, and Italy.

In the United Kingdom, "Smile 2" opened impressively at No. 2, amassing $2.6 million across 607 locations. France also saw a strong start, debuting at the second spot with $2.1 million from 358 locations, marking it the largest horror opening of the year. Germany followed suit, setting the year's best horror opening with $2 million across 446 locations. Meanwhile, in Australia, the sequel took the top spot, grossing $1.3 million from 285 locations. Italy’s No. 2 debut brought in $1.3 million, setting a new benchmark as the biggest Paramount horror opening in the country's history as well as the most significant horror opening of 2024.

In addition to these record-breaking performances, several other markets reported notable openings. Norway and Poland both saw their biggest ever Paramount horror openings, while Switzerland’s No. 1 debut was the largest for a Paramount horror in history and the largest horror opening of 2024. Denmark, Sweden, Greece, and Finland also reported record-breaking performances for Paramount horror films and the year’s best horror openings.

Meanwhile, Universal/DreamWorks Animation's "The Wild Robot" continued its impressive run, expanding its release to 21 more markets for a total of 76. This week alone, it grossed $23.2 million, a modest 22% decrease from previous holdovers. The film's international total now stands at $94.3 million, surpassing the performance of "The Bad Guys" and "Migration." Globally, it is rapidly approaching the $200 million mark, with an estimated total of $196 million. In the UK, "The Wild Robot" secured No. 1 with $4.2 million from 1,250 screens, aligning its launch performance with titles like "Trolls," "Elemental," and "Boss Baby." Schools are set to start their holidays next week, which could further boost its performance. Other leading markets include Mexico ($13.7 million), Australia ($9.9 million), Germany ($4.6 million), France ($4.55 million), and Spain ($4.4 million), with Japan scheduled for release in February next year.

Elsewhere, "Joker: Folie à Deux" added $14.7 million from 78 international markets over the weekend. Its overseas total has now reached an estimated $135.5 million, with a global tally of $192 million. The film saw its first release in China, grossing $5.9 million during the frame. Warner Bros. also saw success with their strategy of rereleasing the Harry Potter series, as "The Chamber of Secrets" ranked as the No. 2 movie in China this session.

Additional box office updates include "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" from Warner Bros., which earned $3.7 million internationally over the weekend across 74 markets, taking its global total to $434.6 million. Paramount's "Transformers One" garnered $2.6 million internationally in 70 markets, with cumulative global earnings of $119.1 million. "Despicable Me 4" from Universal saw an international weekend gross of $1.4 million across 84 markets, pushing its global total to an impressive $963.5 million.