Raking in $24.7 million in ticket sales, the EuropaCorp production got off to a flying start in the USA, hitting No. 1 on its opening weekend.
Following in the tracks of The Fifth Element ($17 million) and Transporter 2 ($16.5 million), this marks the third time that a French film tops the US box office on its opening weekend.
Released in France 11 months ago, where it attracted over 1 million spectators, Taken now boasts a running total of 12.5 million admissions around the world, with receipts currently tallying 58 million euros.
While the film has been particularly well-received in English-speaking countries (630,000 admissions in Australia and 1.3 million in Great Britain), Latin American audiences also show a keen interest, with 1.3 million admissions registered in Mexico, 300,000 in Brazil, 230,000 in Venezuela, and 115,000 in Peru.
Taken has set a new admissions record for a French film in South Korea, posting an impressive 2.6 million admissions.
Results are also exceptional in China (560,000 admissions) and Spain (625,000 admissions), with highly satisfactory figures also registered in South Africa (150,000 admissions).
Germany is the last remaining major theatrical market to release the film, scheduled for February 19, 2009.
