Gentlemen seem to be much more popular abroad than in America.
The Sean Connery-led The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in which Naseeruddin Shah has a plum role, earned a disappointing $66 million in America. Abroad, where it rose to the top of the charts last weekend after playing in a few territories for couple of weeks, it grossed $51 million, according to Hollywood Reporter.
Despite its disappointing its run in America, the big budget The League drew far more people than Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding.
Shah plays the mysterious Captain Nemo, who harbours deep resentment against the British. His character was to be expanded in the sequel but it is not clear whether there would be one, unless The League does extraordinary business on video and DVD. Right now the film, which reportedly cost about $85 million, looks like it is headed for a small profit.
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The action fantasy revolves around renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain (Connery) who leads a team of extraordinary figures with legendary powers to battle the technological terror of a madman known as 'The Fantom.'
The movie was considerably hurt by the more high-spirited and charming adventure Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl that was released around the same time as The League. The Pirates, which received far stronger reviews, is headed for a $320 million gross in America and at least $340 million abroad.
The League was also hurt to an extent by the much-publicised disagreement between producer Connery and director Stephen Norrington. But by the time the film was released abroad, the story of their fight had been forgotten.
In its first big expansion abroad, The League seized $5.1 million in Germany over the last weekend, $2.6 million in France, $2.1 million in Australia and nearly $1 million in Russia, Hollywood Reporter said. It has taken in $6 million in four weeks in Mexico.
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