Update: Intl Box Office: ‘Transformers: Age Of Extinction’ Crushes $201.3M In 2014′s Biggest Offshore Bow; [Huge In China]; ‘Dragon 2′ Adds $17.9M; More

3RD UPDATE, SUNDAY 12:36 PM PT:Fox, Lionsgate and Warner Bros‘ weekend numbers have now been tallied. See below the Transformers news for holdover results on How To Train Your Dragon 2, The Fault In Our Stars,Transcendence, Edge Of Tomorrow, and others.

2ND UPDATE, SUNDAY, 9:35 AM PT: We’re still waiting on international estimates from some of the studios, but in the meantime, here’s the skinny on the Autobot in the room (and, further down, on the other films that have reported). Michael Bay’sTransformers: Age Of Extinction has scored the biggest opening weekend internationally of 2014 with $201.3M from 37 territories. The previous record holder for the year was X-Men: Days Of Future Past which opened to $172M in late May. If TAOE‘s domestic Sunday estimates hold, it may break $300M worldwide. As my colleague Anita Busch reports, we believe it is the only time in history that a film has opened to $90M+ in the two biggest territories in the world, the U.S. and China.

TAOE was No. 1 in each of the markets where it opened, playing at 10,152 locations. Of those, 4,400 were in China (an exact screen count has not been broken out – although I hear it was on a record 150 IMAX screens there with 19 at the top 20 locations). In the Middle Kingdom,TAOE bested Iron Man 3 for the biggest opening weekend ever for an imported movie. Early estimates put it at $90M for the frame. That’s doubleTransformers: Dark Of The Moon in 2011 and a little less than $30M more than IM3‘s $64.5M in 2013. The all-time record holder is still local picJourney To The West: Conquering The Demons with $92.46M. IMAX had a three-day weekend gross of about $10M in China which was double The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug‘s $4.55M and well outperformed IM3‘s six-day opening weekend of $6.9M. Across all international markets, TOAE delivered $16.6M in IMAX, a record on 266 screens.

Also across all markets, TAOE was up 35% over Dark Of The Moon. It had the 2nd biggest opening of all time in Russia with $21.7M at 1,100 locations. Of that, 3D repped 80% of the total gross. Paramount says the bow is a new benchmark for the studio and is 50% bigger than DOTM. IMAX also had a milestone in Russia where the weekend was worth $2.6M on 34 screens.

Across Asia, where the film was expected to scale new heights, it had big bows in several markets. In Korea, the movie was the top opener of the year with $21.5M from 1,533 locations. It had 80% market share there where it bowed bigger thanAmazing Spider-Man 2 and X-Men: Days Of Future Past. On 12 IMAX screens, it made over $1M. TOAE remains, however, the 2nd best debut for the Transformers franchise – DOTM was slightly higher with $21.8M in 2011. The Philippines was good for $5.8M from 135 locations – and nearly 100% market share – to track 21% over the last movie. This was a Paramount and franchise record with the 3rd biggest opening weekend of all time. Malaysia was the all-time industry opening with $6.4M from 119 sites. The debut also marks a new record for Paramount and the franchise, outperforming DOTM by 40%. Indonesia ($5.7M) and Hong Kong ($4.8M) were the biggest openings of all time in their markets and Singapore was the top four-day opening weekend ever with $4.1M at 28 locations. In Taiwan, TAOE scored the 2nd biggest opening weekend of all time with $8.3M. There, it played on seven IMAX screens for $600K. Finally, in Australia, TOAE earned $10.0M from 261 locations.

Megan Colligan, Paramount’s president of domestic marketing and distribution says, “We are doing so well internationally. We still have all of Europe and Brazil yet to bow. We’ve purposely avoided World Cup countries, but those are coming in the next few weeks. The next territory to open is Germany.” Indeed, the film has avoided the football frenzy in Latin America and Europe where it will begin to invade as the tournament wanes. Likewise, pretty much all other movies avoided this weekend to get out of the way of Galvatron and company. Below is news on international holdovers and one new entry in the UK.

How To Train Your Dragon 2swooped down on an extra $17.9M this frame to push its cume past the $100M mark with $107.4M. The film played to non-football fiends in Mexicowith $3.88M in its 2nd weekend and a cume there of $12.26M. Brazil is also holding strong as football counterprogramming, adding $2M in the No. 1 slot for a cume of $10.7M. InAustralia, the DreamWorks Animation adventure took 2nd place on a 28% drop with $2.33M for the frame and a cume of $11.29M. As in Oz, Dragon 2 faced off withTransformers in Russia and took the 2nd spot with $1.95M and a cume of $25.8M. There are 14 more markets to come next weekend.

While it crossed $200M domestically this weekend, Disney‘s Maleficentcontinued its international run adding $16M in 54 territories (93% of the international marketplace). In its 2nd weekend in China, the film earned $2.6M with a cume there of $38.7M. It’s performing well in a tough spot that saw it sandwiched in between the opening two weeks ago of Godzillaand this week’s TOAE bow. The overseas total is now $383.7M and the film has become the highest-grossing live-action Angelina Jolie title of all time at home, abroad and combined. The bump this weekend makes it the 4th highest-grossing global release of 2014 behind Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Maleficent hits its last international market on July 5 when it ventures into Japan.

Fox’s winning world Cup counterprogrammer The Fault In Our Stars has lifted its cume to $85.79M after adding $13.07M this weekend in 52 markets. Openings in Latin America included No. 1s in Argentina ($1.1M), Peru ($618K), Ecuador($204K) and Uruguay ($65K). Elsewhere, the UK added $2.87M for a cume of $11.16M. In Germany, TFIOS was No. 1 in its 3rd week with $1.27M and a 19% drop for a $5.7M cume.

Sony’s 22 Jump Street added an estimated $9.6M in its 4th frame for an overseas cume of $54.2M. Belgium was a No. 1 opening with $620K on 40 screens, about three times more than 21 Jump Street. Norway was also a No. 1 bow with $750K on 129 screens, five times more than the earlier movie. Elsewhere in Scandinavia, the film is performing well with Sweden up 6% for a $1.5M cume and Denmarkdown 43% for a $1M cume – the movie was No. 1 for the second week in a row in both markets. Also holding over in the UK, the Channing Tatum-Jonah Hill comedy was down only 22% with $2.0M and a $25.5M local total.

With no other studio releases in its way, Universal’s Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie had a clear path to No. 1 in the UK this weekend. Based on the popular Irish sitcom which aired on BBC One, the big screen adaptation grossed an estimated $7.8M at 520 dates. Brendan O’Carroll, in drag, plays the loudmouth matriarch Agnes Brown in the movie that’s skewing to adults and seniors, Universal says. It’s the studio’s biggest opening of 2014 in the UK and Ireland and has 34% of the market share. InIreland, it was the biggest opening of 2014 and the biggest ever for a local movie. Universal also has Australia and New Zealand where the TV show has a growing following. It opens there on July 24.

Warner Bros’ Edge Of Tomorrow added $6.9M from over 6,000 screens in 64 markets. The international cume is now $234.5M. China remains the top market for the film with a total of $63.4M, followed by Korea at $35.2M, Russia ($20.5M), theUK ($12.2M) and France ($8.3M).

Adam Sandler comedy Blended took in $6.4M from over 3,600 screens for an international cume of $31.3M. The past weekend saw Mexico bow with $2.7M and a No. 2 opening. The top markets are Russia ($4.6M), the UK ($3.3M) and Australia($3M).

X-Men: Days Of Future Past may have lost the 2014 international opening record to Age Of Extinction this weekend, but it is still mutating in 39 markets. The weekend box office was $6.18M for an overseas total of $491.3M. That takes the franchise’s total worldwide box office above $3B. In Venezuela, which was DOFP’s final market to release, it was No. 1 with $1.74M, a 5% drop for a cume of $5.14M.

Acting as a sci-fi alternative for the soccer-loving set, Transcendence opened inFrance this week in both 2D and 3D versions and earned a No. 1 berth with $1.8M from 520 screens, according to Lionsgate. In total, the film drew an additional $5.9M from 30 markets and lifted its running total to $67M.

In its 16th consecutive week at No. 1 in Japan, Frozen saw a decrease of 34%, one of the bigger drops its experienced throughout this amazing run. It added $2.7M for a local haul of $236.8M. (Will another Disney film, Maleficent, be the one to toppleFrozen when it hits Japan next week?) The movie’s worldwide cume is $1,263.716M. If you’re wondering how this phenomenon has just kept on going, The New Yorkerthis past week had an interesting piece titled “How Frozen Took Over The World.” Check it out here.

Neighbors added an estimated $1.9M at 1,200 dates in 38 markets this weekend for an overseas total of $95.3M. The comedy bowed in Chile, where World Cup fever has been running at a pitch – although the home side was knocked out on Saturday night – and earned $82K at 31 locations. In World Cup host country Brazil – which advanced on penalties against Chile – the movie held at No. 6 in its 2nd frame with an estimated $520K at 180 dates for a total of $1.6M. There are 12 more markets to come with the current worldwide total at $242.5M.

Warner Bros says Clint Eastwood’s Jersey Boys had good holds, adding an estimated $1.1M in 11 markets. The international total after two frames is $3.7M. The studio did not provide individual numbers for Godzilla in China in its 3rd frame, but the cume there to date is now $75.3M. The monster roars next in Japan on July 25 via Toho.

Speaking of Japan, Noah continues to perform there where it added $1M from 228 locations and took the 2nd spot after the seemingly unstoppable Frozen. That’s down 46% in its 3rd frame for a $10.6M cume. The overseas total is now $258M.

1ST UPDATE, SATURDAY, 8:51 AM PT: Transformers: Age Of Extinction added $52M on Friday in 36 overseas markets. That takes the three-day cume to $80M headed into Saturday. Par says the Friday result is 42% above Dark Of The Moonwhich opened to $161M in similar markets in 2011. The numbers so far are strong and Paramount is rolling out in markets that are most susceptible to the charms of Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee and the rest of the shape-shifting gang. China, Korea, Russia and Australia were among the top territories for the last film in the series. Through Friday the worldwide cume on TAOE is $121.6M.

China officially bowed on Friday after taking $3.5M in midnights Thursday and early estimates in the Middle Kingdom are just over $30M for its opening day. If the estimates hold, that will be the biggest opening day for a foreign film ever in the market. The movie has strong ties to China including local partners, talent and locations. It had been expected to do remarkable business there, following in the footsteps of pics like last year’s Iron Man 3 which also had a huge local profile. Another enticement for Chinese audiences is their very own Li Bingbing who co-stars alongside Mark Wahlberg, the new male lead for this installment of the franchise. There are also a record number of IMAX screens in China — 148 of the total 619 IMAX screens globally — which is a record number for a film in this market.

In other major overseas bows, TAOE had the 2nd biggest Friday ever in Russia at $4.5M, just below IM3. Friday was up 52% over Thursday for a local cume of $10.4M.  Korea grossed $3M on Friday, the biggest of 2014. However, it’s still placing as the No. 2 movie of the franchise.  Cume to date is $9.1M.  Australia brought in $1.8M, for a local total thus far of $4.6M. Par says it was 3% above X-Men: Days Of Future Past and TASM2.

Elsewhere in Asia Pacific, Taiwan grossed $1.5M on Friday for a $4.1M cume. It was the biggest Friday there for the year. TAOE recorded the biggest Fridays ever In Malaysia ($1.5M, 91% up on DOTM, $3.2M cume); Singapore ($1M, 22% up onDOTM, $1.8M cume);  Indonesia ($936K, 175% up on DOTM, $2.4M cume); and Thailand ($765K, 10% up on DOTM, $2.M cume).

PREVIOUSLY, FRIDAY, 10:09 PST: Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age Of Extinction has, as expected, opened to big numbers overseas. Through Thursday in its first debut markets, the movie has taken $30M. That includes what Paramount says are record-setting midnight previews in China. In all this weekend, the film is rolling out in 36 international markets. So far, according to the studio, it is No. 1 in the 22 that went early. The markets it will cover this weekend equal about 60% of the overseas footprint. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, the last movie in the franchise, took $162M in the same market debuts in 2011. Each of the previousTransformers franchise films has bested the previous one internationally. Latin America and Asia have been the biggest growth areas.

In China, which officially opens today (Friday), the record is an estimated $3.5M for the first midnight showings last night. Of that, $625K came from IMAX screens — there are 619 IMAX screens globally, including a record 148 in China. The China score for Age Of Extinction bested the previous record holder Iron Man 3 by 70% andDark Of The Moon by 75%.

Elsewhere, Age Of Extinction had the biggest opening day of 2014 in Korea, the fast-burn, and increasingly important grand-spectacle-loving country, with $2.5M and $6M including previews. However, that was only good for the 2nd biggest score of the franchise.

In Taiwan, TAOE had the biggest opening day of all time with $1.4M and a cume of $2.6M. Hong Kong posted $1M for the 2nd biggest opening day of all time and the biggest Paramount and franchise opening day, 37% ahead of Dark Of The Moon.

Outside of Asia, Russia opened to $5.5M, the 2nd biggest of all time and biggest opening day of 2014. The bow outperformed Dark Of The Moon by 15%.

Along with China, 14 other overseas markets open today. The film has deep ties to the Middle Kingdom where it was partly shot and was subject to a cooperation agreement with local companies. It also features an Asia-centric latter quarter and local star Li Bingbing.

Basically everything else (except the World Cup – although Age Of Extinction doesn’t hit the most tournament concerned Latin American and Western European markets until the waning days of the football-fest) has gotten out of the way of Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots. The Fault In Our Stars, Jersey Boys and How To Train Your Dragon 2 are expanding into a handful more territories this weekend.

So, are we looking at a transformative opening weekend worldwide or will so-so reviews hurt the TAOE blast off? We’ll know more as the frame rides along, but it’s a fair bet that China will be much more significant this time around given the growth in the market since 2011 and the film’s huge profile there. It premiered in Hong Kong on June 19 and just closed the Shanghai International Film Festival on Sunday. Dark Of The Moon made $165.5M in China, the 2nd biggest imported film ever in the market. It’s worth noting that the Transformers film prior to that earned only $66M there, another sign of the significant growth and impact of the Chinese market. After potentially stirring the pot last week, Age Of Extinction sponsor Pangu Investments has been mollified. Paramount and Pangu resolved the accusation that the studio breached its promise to feature its Pangu Plaza Hotel in the movie in the wake of Pangu‘s attempt to delay the film’s China opening by demanding cuts.

For reference, Dark Of The Moon’s top grossing markets were China, Korea, Japan, the UK, Russia, Australia, Germany, Mexico, France and Brazil.