Update On SPIDER-MAN And ICE AGE 4 Opening Overseas And An Impressive Run For MIB3

It always kind of bothered me that so many websites take the domestic tally at the box office as the primary measurement of success for a movie. Clearly that's wrong and yet so many still only cite domestic take as if it was the only one. Heck Canada is a foreign country and yet is thrown in with the domestic take.

That should soon fade away I hope as the international box office plays a larger and larger role. The studios have finally recognized it and have begun releasing their tentpoles in foreign countries weeks if not months prior to North American venues.

Take ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT which took in am impressive $78m and first place in ALL of its markets. Fox's marketing overseas has been done very well yet again, like with the "Sid Shuffle" being shot all over the world.


Or how about THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN which opened with $50.2 - it is doing better than THE AVENGERS in South Korea (which also opened overseas first). SPIDER-MAN also had the highest ever Hollywood launch in India ($6m) thanks to the appearance of Irrfan Khan, a Bollywood star.

Want more proof? How about MEN IN BLACK 3. It has grossed a HUGE $429.8m overseas and what did it do domestically so far? $169.6m. Clearly the foreign market is MORE important than domestic for some movies. MIB3 is now the highest grossing of its franchise.

We'll continue to watch these tentpoles as they open in more markets, including North America. SPIDER-MAN opens tomorrow here (midnight screenings tonight - free posters!) and ICE AGE 4 on July 13.

Stat source: Box Office Mojo

EXCLUSIVE: Interview With Corey Turner, 3D Visual Effects Supervisor On Sony's MEN IN BLACK 3

A special treat for you today as I have my recent interview with Corey Turner, 3D Visual Effects Supervisor for MEN IN BLACK 3!

Corey is an accomplished stereographer and while the title may change from project to project he essentially does the same work. He's worked on such mammoth projects as TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, ALICE IN WONDERLAND and now MIB3. 

He's also had an awesome background in motion and performance capture so he's pretty much done everything I think is cool in technology for Hollywood today!

Below is the timecode breakdown of the 30 minute conversation so you can quickly jump to a key area of interest for you if your under a time crunch. Otherwise I invite you to have a listen to the whole thing as we discuss modern 3D, the advances being made and of course the current box office champ MEN IN BLACK 3.

Interview Timecodes:
0:30 Exciting time for 3D
1:00 On how far 3D conversions have come
2:23 How was he drawn to MIB3
3:10 Why Barry Sonnenfeld chose 3D conversion
5:20 On exactly what his role was on the production
9:54 On how Barry made his job easier
11:52 What shot excited him the most
15:30 How the action was easier to do than the comedic scenes
16:10 Barry doesn't do any panning, which added a challenge for the stereo effect
17:03 Prime Focus was the major 3D conversion house on this production
18:15 On not wanting to be considered a 3D conversion, but a 3D movie
19:15 On rendering native 3D effects shots and adding it to converted 3D
20:20 The major vendors: Prime Focus, Imageworks and Method
21:15 There were 700 VFX shots (1800 shots total)
21:34 On how many seats did Prime Focus use to get the job done (~600)
22:00 On his background in motion and performance capture
24:02 On whether there was mocap on MIB3 or was it all Rick Baker
25:36 Tips for up and coming stereographers
27:00 What's next for him regarding other projects (secretive answer!)

My thanks to Corey for taking the time to speak with me about MIB3 and 3D in general and of course Sony for setting this up for the awesome 3D readers of MarketSaw!

MEN IN BLACK 3 is currently #1 at the box office - if you haven't seen it, get out and get it done! I loved it and the movie effectively puts the finishing touches on an exceptional franchise. The 3D is beyond reproach - wonderfully done, thanks to people like Corey Turner and his team.

3D Geek Alert: Get A Free Ticket To See MEN IN BLACK III With A Pre-Order Of The Blu-ray

Amazon's got a pretty good deal going on right now for the first 10,000 customers who pre-order the Men In Black 3 Blu-ray from them before June 25, 2013. This will undoubtedly sell out fast, so if you plan on getting the Blu-ray anyway - go for it!

Here's what Amazon says about the deal:

Be one of the first 10,000 customers to pre-order Men in Black 3 on Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D at Amazon.com between May 23, 2012 and June 25, 2012 and receive a promotional code that you can redeem by July 5, 2012 for a certificate valid for one admission up to $10 to see the movie at participating theaters. Terms and conditions apply.

• Step 1: Complete your pre-order of Men in Black 3 on Blu-ray or Blu-ray 3D between May 23, 2012 and June 25, 2012.
• Step 2: If you are one of the first 10,000 to pre-order, you will receive an e-mail within 48 hours containing your promotional code, click the link contained in the email to go to http://www.sonymoviecash.com/mib3 and redeem your promotional code by July 5, 2012. 
• Step 3: On the http://www.sonymoviecash.com/mib3, website follow the instructions to enter your promotional code and other required information and print your certificate. 

Sounds like a great deal to me. THE AVENGERS gave away poster at the midnight screenings but this deal of a free ticket AND potentially seeing a 6 minute clip of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN at the screening tonight is adding up to a really good deal!

Thanks to /Film for the heads up!