- The Japanese box office numbers came in from Box Office Mojo. Despite Always 2 and Koizora dropping around 30% each, it managed to hang on to first and second place. However, Beowulf did get the best per-screen average out of the top 10, despite opening at just third place. Midnight Eagle, which lost 66% of its business from last weekend after losing one screen to be at 100th place this weekend, lost only 30% of its opening weekend business in its second weekend for a 2-weekend total of 387 million yen. Sadly, the action thriller will not be hitting the 1 billion yen mark.

- As reported in Korea Pop Wars, it was indeed a rather slow weekend in Korea. To everyone’s surprise, the Hollywood film August Rush, which was co-produced by Korea’s CJ Entertainment, opened at number 1 (unlike in North America, where it stayed at 7th place for 2 weeks in a row). Lust, Caution has managed to see it admissions grow to 1.3 million now and may hit 1.5 million. If it becomes a hit in Japan, then Ang Lee’s film would officially have conquered all of Asia’s major moviegoing regions.

In a related note, Lust, Caution finally lost its number one spot in China after 4 weeks at the top.

- The Sunday numbers from Hong Kong are in, and Johnnie To/Wai Ka Fai’s Mad Detective is a bona-fide hit, making what looks like HK$1.15 million from 35 screens for a 4-day total of HK$3.85 million, exceeding my previous forecast. Danny Pang’s In Love With the Dead made HK$470,000 from 32 screens on Sunday for a 4-day total of HK$2.38 million. Depending on word-of-mouth, this should probably do just as much business as brother Oxide’s The Detective did in September.

In foreign opening films, the vampire film 30 Days of Night made HK$300,000 from 24 screens for a weak opening of HK$1.21 million. Andrew Lau’s Hollywood debut The Flock made only HK$100,000 from 18 screens for a HK$370,000 4-day total. Lastly, the Japan-Korean co-production Virgin Snow made HK$93,000 from 12 screens for a 4-day total of HK$HK$370,000 as well.

In holdovers, last weekend’s winner The Heartbreak Kid holds on fairly strong with HK$340,000 from 25 screens with a HK$3.84 million. The Japanese tearjerker Tokyo Tower saw another strong weekend boost, making HK$230,000 from 11 screens. After 18 days, it’s made HK$3.48 million and should have no problem getting to HK$4 million. The ultimate holdover, though, is Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution. After 68 days, it still manages to make HK$110,000 from 10 screens for a current total HK$46.93 million. It won’t cross 50 mil, but it’ll be close.

- In Japan attendance rankings, Always 2 and Koizora top the box office again.  Meanwhile, the animated film Beowulf opens at third, and the seemingly-somewhat-anticipated remake Sanjuro could only muster a 4th place opening. Everything else falls, and expect a more detailed look when the numbers come out from Box Office Mojo.