'Shrek Forever After' beats 'Eclipse' overseas

DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek Forever After" jumped to the top of the international box office this weekend with a strong gross of $52.2 million in 57 territories, beating "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

The fourth installment in the animated series lifted its gross to $292.5 million. Meanwhile, "Eclipse" dropped to second place, generating another $42 million for an overseas total gross of $288 million.

At No. 3, "Toy Story 3" brought in $32.9 million, bringing its cumulative gross to $267.5 million. "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz followed in fourth place, picking up $20 million.

Taking the crown in North American, Christopher Nolan's "Inception" debuted at No. 5 overseas, earning $15.6 million in only eight markets. The sci-fi thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio will expand this week.

Also, "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" generated $8.5 million, while "Predators" picked up $11.1 million. "The Last Airbender" pulled in $6.3 million, with "The Karate Kid" earning $4.3 million.

Box Office: 'Karate Kid' triumphs with $56M!

Sony Pictures's remake of "The Karate Kid" delivered a superb start at the North American box office this weekend with a surprisingly strong $56 million in ticket sales, according to estimates Sunday.

Things didn't go that well for Fox's "The A-Team," which came in second with a total of only $26 million. The adaptation of the former TV series scored an average of $7,355 per theater at 3,535 locations.

Count me among those surprised by the performance of "Karate Kid." The film, which runs 140 minutes, only cost $40 million to make, but with this weekend's take, it's already a proftable reboot.

At No. 3, "Shrek Forever After" finished with $15.8 million, reaching a cume of $210 million. Following in fourth place with $10.1 million was "Get Him to the Greek," which reached a total of $36.5 million.

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What? 'The Karate Kit' is a big hit?

All signs point to it. The reboot of "The Karate Kid" is on a roll, and early estimates show the 140-minute movie starring Jaden Smith bagged a surprising $19 million at the North American box office Friday!

Yep; I agree I didn't see that one coming. I also didn't expect Joe Carnahan's "The A-Team" to disappoint, but according to Deadline Hollywood, the action flick managed to pull only $9.5 million Friday.

All this means "The Karate Kid" could end up taking $52 million this weekend, with "A-Team" making up to $27 million. It will be a step up from what other recent releases have earned on opening weekend.

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'Shrek Forever After' has new feature trailer

"Shrek Forever After" is apparently the final chapter in the series, and I am quite happy about that. As much as I loved the funny ogre in the first and second adventures, he kind of started getting on my nerves in "Shrek the Third." Now he's back for one more round, and you can check out the film's new trailer right after the jump.

This time, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated, and to regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. The pact goes awry and Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never really existed. Donkey and Fiona never hear of him, and Rumpelstiltskin has become a ruthless king.

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'Shrek Forever After' gets a teaser trailer

Mike Mitchell's "Shrek Forever After" is apparently the last film in the popular animated series, and it is heading to theaters in 3D May 21, 2010. A first teaser trailer for your viewing pleasure is now online.

This is a short teaser, but it gives us a good first look at the story and characters of the fourth film. I loved the first and second, but "Shrek The Third" really disappointed me. Let's hope for a better finale...

This time, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated in the fourth installment. He has lost his roar. It used to send villagers running away in terror. Now they run to him and ask him to sign their pitchforks and torches.

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Here's a first look at 'Shrek Forever After'

Mike Mitchell's "Shrek Forever After" will hit theaters in 3D May 21, 2010, and the folks at USA Today just released the first stills from the upcoming animated adventure.

The news site also points out the first trailer for the fourth "Shrek" film will debut with "Avatar" December 18. "Shrek Forever After" will also be the last film in the ultra-popular series.

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