Slumdog Millionaire climbed to the top of the foreign box office over the weekend, grossing $16 million from 34 markets (three smaller markets remain unreported) for a $96.5 million total. The Best Picture winner rose 85 percent from the previous weekend, and its biggest single country increase was in Italy (up 556 percent). In the United Kingdom, it regained the lead with a seven percent boost, and it saw sizable bumps in Australia (53 percent to second place), France (61 percent) and Spain (73 percent), where it was No. 1 ahead of The Pink Panther 2's opening. In India, where Slumdog hasn't performed as well as recent local titles Delhi 6 or Chandni Chowk to China, it grew by 470 percent, pushing its total there to $6.3 million.

Slumdog was victorious in its debuts as well. It led in Hong Kong with $1 million (which was the second biggest opening of the year) and in Croatia with $170,419 from 10 screens (the biggest opening in the last four months), and it was second in Poland with $715,677. Still on the horizon for Slumdog are Sweden (March 6), Germany and South Korea (March 19), Japan (April 18), and the picture will likely receive a China release at some point.

After a three-week reign, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button fell to second place. Lacking the Oscar windfall of Slumdog, the fantastical drama slowed 33 percent to $14 million from 61 markets. With $177 million thus far, though, it's on track to pass $200 million, which would make it the 15th picture from 2008 to reach that milestone.

In third place, Gran Torino finally engaged the international market at full throttle, banking $9.7 million from 11 markets over the weekend for an $18.2 million total. Clint Eastwood's action drama, which is 2009's top grosser domestically, has already proven itself in Australia ($7.8 million) and is poised to perform well elsewhere. In France, its $5.5 million opening from 422 screens was Eastwood's biggest. The picture also led Greece with $428,145 and was second to Slumdog in the U.K. with $2.3 million.

Bolt slowed 34 percent to $7.6 million from 39 markets for a $161.1 million running tally. In Belgium, the animated comedy took advantage of school holidays and nearly doubled the previous weekend's gross to gain the lead. Elsewhere, it fell 33 percent in France but dove 57 percent in the U.K. ($22.1 million total). There's only one territory that Bolt hasn't marked yet: Japan, where it opens in August.

Valkyrie rounded out the Top Five, grossing $7.1 million from 53 markets for a $93.7 million total. The thriller's most notable start was in China, where it led with $3.7 million. Valkyrie will finish its foreign campaign this month with stops in Vietnam and Japan.

Attentive to the needs of an ignored audience amidst the summer blockbuster onslaught, the first romantic comedy in three months excelled beyond industry expectations, toppling waning mega-budget mutants in the process.

The Break-Up attracted $39.2 million at 3,070 locations, the third highest-grossing start ever for its genre behind Hitch and 50 First Dates. Universal Pictures' $52 million romantic comedy marked personal bests for lead actors Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston in starring roles. The last romantic comedy, Failure to Launch, also bowled over the industry when it debuted to $24.4 million in March.

"I'm just so happy about The Break-Up," said Nikki Rocco, Universal's president of distribution. "I think everyone in the industry, based on the tracking, expected it to be $25 million to $30 million. But if you take a look at the lineup of films that have been doing business, there's nothing like it. We've been very successful with Jennifer Aniston before, with Bruce Almighty and Along Came Polly. You put her in the right vehicle and she's a draw. I think the public genuinely likes her and Vince Vaughn."

Women made up two thirds of The Break-Up's audience, according to Universal's exit polling, while half of moviegoers were over 30 years old. The "humor" was the most cited reason respondents gave for seeing the picture, with Miss Aniston and Mr. Vaughn not far behind.

The industry frequently is surprised by the success of romantic comedies yet doesn't churn them out at the same rate as other genres, like horror or action. That leaves the field wide open for the few high profile romantic comedies, like this year's The Break-Up and Failure to Launch, to clean up.

The Break-Up's premise was not original but it was relatable, from the petty bickering to the battle of the sexes angle that has driven past hits like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. What's more, it had the personalities and humor to bring it home. Mr. Vaughn has cultivated a movie image as a verbose guy's guy, giving voice to men's often immature wants through pictures like Wedding Crashers and Old School. Though her popularity has been underrated due to inconsistent movie choices, Miss Aniston has consistently projected normalcy and likeability, especially as a foil to annoying or oddball characters onscreen.

The marketing may have highlighted the humor, but the picture's called The Break-Up, not The Make-Up, and it isn't a romp, heaping on some drama with the laughs. Whether audiences are disappointed that it's not entirely frothy or are pleasantly surprised that it has a little heft should be revealed in the weeks to come.

Suggesting that fans rushed to see it as soon as possible, X-Men: The Last Stand devolved 67 percent to $34 million, the steepest post-Memorial Day opening drop on record. In 10 days, though, the costly Marvel Comics adaptation climbed to $175.3 million, a figure that X2: X-Men United took 18 days to reach.

Over the Hedge eased 24 percent to $20.6 million in its third weekend, a stronger post-Memorial Day hold than DreamWorks' past hits Madagascar or the two Shreks, although its grosses are lower. The 17-day tally stands at $112.4 million, and the computer-animated comedy will face significant competition from Cars next weekend.

With the help of the Autobots, the soldiers of NEST, and an old adversary-turned-ally, Sam and Mikaela must uncover the secret history of the Transformers presence on earth, and the sacrifices that have to be made to save it from an ancient threat sworn on returning here for revenge... an ancient Decepticon named THE FALLEN.

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro
Directed by: Michael Bay
Produced by: Steven Spielberg, Michael Bay

Also Known As: Transformers 2
Production Status: Released
Genres: Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Sequel and War
Running Time: 2 hr. 24 min.
Release Date: June 24th, 2009 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, language, some crude and sexual material, and brief drug material.
Distributors: Paramount Pictures
Production Co.: Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc.
Studios: DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures
Financiers: Hasbro, Inc.
U.S. Box Office: $379,214,172
Filming Locations:Bethlehem, Pennsylvania USA, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Produced in: United States