Tom Hanks' thriller 'Inferno' tops int'l box office

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tom Hanks' thriller "Inferno" has passed the $100 million milestone in 64 international markets for Sony in its first ten days, with its domestic launch set for Friday, October 28, according to Variety.

Ron Howard returns as helmer after directing Hanks in the franchise's previous installments: "The Da Vinci Code" (2006) and "Angels amp; Demons" (2009).

Howard and Brian Grazer are producing. David Koepp wrote the script, as he did for "Angels amp; Demons.

The two previous installments, also adapted from Brown's novels, grossed more than $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office with a lion's share from international markets, where "The Da Vinci Code" took in $540 million and "Angels amp; Demons" totaled $352 million.

"Inferno" carries a budget of around $75 million, about half of "Angels amp; Demons." The movie opens with a mysterious death, followed by Hanks' Robert Langdon character being awakened in an Italian hospital with amnesia.

It turns out that a madman is trying to wipe half the world's population, and kill Langdon. Langdon teams up with a doctor - played by Felicity Jones - in hopes that she will help him recover his memories and stop the madman's plot. Omar Sy, Ben Foster, Sidse Babett Knudsen, and Irrfan Khan also star.

"Inferno" will launch Oct. 28 in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and China, then opens Nov. 9 in France. The film premiered on Oct. 8 in Florence, Italy, and notched first-place finishes in Germany, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, and Italy.

"Tom Hanks has proven yet again that he is one of the world's biggest stars, and Robert Langdon is one of his most iconic roles," said Josh Greenstein, president of worldwide marketing and distribution for Sony Pictures.

"Ron and Brian have delivered a film that hits the mark on everything that global audiences love about this series. This kind of international performance gives us strong momentum as we open domestically and continue to roll out in some of the most highly anticipated international markets this weekend."