Trade Roundup: Pubescent Wizards Still Huge With International Audiences

· Harry Potter takes in a huge $US190.3 million at the international box office in its opening weekend, but the haul still leaves it behind Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Still, Warner Bros. should be able to crank out a passable trade paper ad touting the result as the Best Overseas Opening Weekend of All Time* (*For Fifth Instalments Of Franchises Based On Best-Selling Children’s Books About A Wizard Academy) [Variety]
· Though Volkswagen executives have been underwhelmed by the results of their product placement deal with NBC Universal, they seem happy with the Touareg 2’s upcoming Bourne Ultimatum cameo as The Official Getaway Vehicle of the World’s Deadliest Amnesiac Spies, an identification that should help capture the attention of a market segment that has long eluded them. [THR]
· Sicko performs well after expanded release, though the Weinstein Co. would like you to compare the movie to Bowling for Columbine, not his record-setting documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, because global terrorism is an inherently sexier topic than health care reform. Seems fair to us. [Variety]
· THR breaks down the WGA/AMPTP negotiations into three easy-to-understand, likely phases: 1. “Paris peace talks”; 2. The acknowledgement of differences about difficult issues; 3. Fisticuffs, tears, and the total eradication of Hollywood life as we know it. [THR]
· Confronted with the choice of watching a new episode of Big Brother or reruns of Law & Order and Desperate Housewives, viewers make the difficult choice to spend an hour with CBS’s scheming houseguests. [Variety]