Global cinemas pushed through a busy start to the year, building on a record-smashing holiday stretch and keeping ticket sales robust across many territories.

Two fantasy franchises dominated international charts, taking the top two positions in markets such as the U.K., Germany, France, Spain and South Korea, rather than eliminating each other at the box office.

The epic from New Line has been a broad-based hit, appealing to older and general adult audiences, while the young-wizard saga is drawing families and children — a staggered release strategy of three to four weeks helping both films thrive.

Through Jan. 9, the epic had accumulated $252.6 million worldwide, including about $56 million from roughly 6,000 screens across 34 territories. Early territory tallies include approximately $674,000 from six days on 20 screens in the Philippines, $6.8 million in nine days in South Korea, and $3.8 million in the same period in Brazil.

That fantasy continued to perform strongly in its third week in the U.K., Germany, France and Spain. Australia showed a 37% second-week decline, but that follow-up session still ranks as the territory’s second-biggest sophomore showing ever, behind only another late-’90s blockbuster. With openings still to come in Italy and Japan, the picture is on track to surpass $400 million globally.

The young-wizard picture has reached about $519.8 million worldwide, adding roughly $40 million from some 7,800 engagements in 50 countries. It has eclipsed prior hits to move past The Phantom Menace and Independence Day and is closing in on Jurassic Park’s $563 million lifetime.

Regionally, the film is one of the all-time top earners: second-highest ever in the U.K. and Germany, fourth in Japan, and placing among the top five in Spain, Mexico, Australia, South Korea and Taiwan. In Japan, a special promotion by the distributor saw fans purchase about 30,000 advance seats for the sequel.

Animated fare also contributed to the buoyant market. Monsters, Inc. generated about $41.5 million in 19 territories, buoyed by a strong fourth week in Mexico — where it’s threatening to overtake the wizarding hit — and lucrative third-week holds in Australia and South Korea. The Pixar title still has most of Europe plus Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong to come.

Other recent releases had mixed fortunes. Ocean’s Eleven, rolled out in only seven countries so far, posted encouraging early numbers: around $444,000 in six days from 71 screens in Thailand (knocking the fantasy epic from the top spot there in its second week), and close to $363,000 from 30 screens in Israel — the distributor’s second-best local launch after the wizard film. In Italy, the ensemble comedy reached No. 1 in its third week, displacing a local seasonal title.

Vanilla Sky held up well in Japan during its third week, running ahead of several prestige titles and just behind a major action sequel, but it has lost momentum in Australia amid poor word-of-mouth.

The Farrelly brothers’ comedy Shallow Hal is drawing strong laughs in Australia on its initial major-market outing.

From Hell, which underperformed domestically, has enjoyed a successful first European engagement in Italy after premiering at Venice, where it was positioned to audiences as a stylish take on the Jack the Ripper story.

Action title Behind Enemy Lines opened modestly in the U.K. and Belgium, but found firmer interest in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive attracted a solid niche audience among fans in the U.K. (playing on a limited number of prints) and in Germany, though it did not break into the broader mainstream there.

Holiday-period attendance contributed to the surge: Japanese exhibitors estimate the five weeks from Dec. 1–Jan. 4 grossed about $183 million, roughly 40% higher than the same span a year earlier. Germany closed out a record 2001 with a Dec. 27–30 window that drew 4.25 million moviegoers — its biggest weekend on record.

France reported its strongest December in more than 20 years of record-keeping, up about 40% over December 2000. Spain and Australia also posted record-breaking Christmas/New Year periods, and the U.K. finished the holiday stretch some 68% ahead of the prior year and 37% above the 1997–98 high mark.

What are the Harry Potter Movies about and Where to Watch

The Harry Potter movies chronicle the magical adventures of young wizard Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, confronts the evil Lord Voldemort, and discovers his extraordinary destiny in the wizarding world. For fans wondering where to watch harry potter films, they are available across multiple streaming services including HBO Max, Netflix (in select regions), and Amazon Prime, with rental options also available through various digital platforms for those seeking to experience this beloved fantasy saga.

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