Forget Katniss Everdeen and "The Hunger Games": Besides "Marvel's The Avengers" and "The Dark Knight Rises," no film released in 2012 has grossed more around the world than "Ice Age: Continental Drift."
The animated film -- the fourth in the "Ice Age" series -- has earned an astonishing $620.5 million internationally thus far, more than any other cartoon in history except for "Toy Story 3" ($649 million) and "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($694 million). Since release on July 13, "Ice Age: Continental Drift" has earned more internationally than every 2012 release except for "Marvel's The Avengers." ("The Dark Knight Rises" has grossed roughly $180 million less than "Ice Age: Continental Drift" overseas, but is beating the film in North America by almost $250 million.)
For anyone who has followed the "Ice Age" franchise, these numbers aren't too surprising. While "Ice Age" only earned $206 million internationally after its release in 2002, the next three films were all global juggernauts. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" grossed $460 million internationally, which accounted for 70 percent of the film's total gross; "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" saw 77 percent of its total gross come from international markets; and the fourth film has seen 81 percent of its total gross come from overseas ticket sales so far. Perhaps not coincidentally, with the franchise gearing itself to a global marketplace, "Ice Age: Continental Drift" has the lowest domestic gross of any film in the series ($144 million), but could pass the original film, which earned $176 million in North America, before it shuffles out of theaters.
For a look at the 2012 global box office chart, head over to Box Office Mojo.
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