'Noah' Opened To Solid Numbers in Mexico and South Korea; How Will It Do in North America

With "Noah" having opened in Mexico and Korea to promising numbers, the upcoming blockbuster could become a huge hit in North America.

Over the past weekend the Darren Aronofsky film opened to $5.4 million in Mexico which is on par with "Gravity's" opening in the Latin America country. Meanwhile the film opened to $8.3 million in South Korea. The total gross was $14 million, which was more than "Inception" and "Gravity" in those two markets. Both those films went on to make over $400 million in foreign territories. With the film opening in 3D in most areas and a promising start, "Noah" is expected to become a global success.

However the question most pundits are asking is how the film will open in the North America. Two weeks ago Variety was reporting that the Paramount release was expected to open with $35 million. However some insiders indicated that a potential $40 million could happen while Paramount downplayed all expectations and said it expected a subpar $27.5 million.

The film cost $130 million to produce but has become one of the hardest films to measure due to the controversy it has generated with Christian audiences which is one of their target markets. The film generated controversy because Christians were not thrilled about the creative licenses the writers took with the story of Noah.

Another controversy that was spread was about the cancellation from Pope Francis to meet star Russell Crowe. The controversy generated a lot of buzz even though it was not completely true.

The last time a biblical adapted film caused so much controversy was in 2004 when Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" was called anti-Semitic. The result was a record breaking box office. The film scored the highest opening for a rate R film and ended up making $370 million domestically. In total it made $611 million worldwide. The movie also ended up being nominated for three Academy Awards.

"Noah" has garnered positive reviews. It currently has a 76 percent aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes with critics hailing its visual aspects. These good reviews mixed with a strong opening worldwide could spread buzz and word of mouth and could eventually lead "Noah" to a better than expected opening weekend.

"Noah" tells the story of a man who is chosen by God to undertake a momentous mission of rescue before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world. The film stars Russell Crowe ("A Beautiful Mind," "Gladiator"), Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind"), Anthony Hopkins ("Silence of the Lambs"), Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Light Thef"), and Emma Watson ("Harry Potter," "The Blind Side") and produced by Mary Parent ("Pacific Rim," "Role Models"), Arnon Milchan ("12 Years a Slave"), and Scott Franklin ("Black Swan"). The movie was directed and written by Aronofsky who is best known for his work on "The Fountain," "Black Swan," "The Wrestler," "Requiem for a Dream" and "Pi."

Paramount will release the film on March 28 in 3,400 theaters.