EXCLUSIVE: Twentieth Century Fox/Chernin Entertainment’s Ford V Ferrari has revved its engines past the $200M mark globally, accelerating to $200.6M through Monday. The split is $106.6M domestic and $94M at the international box office. Disney is handling the awards-season contender that reps the sort of movies Fox has excelled at making.
Directed by James Mangold and starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, Ford V Ferrari has been one of the biggest original films in the U.S. this year, spending seven weeks on the Top 10 domestic chart during a crowded corridor.
Critics has hopped along for the ride with a 92% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences gave it an A+ CinemaScore.
FVF debuted at Telluride, then played Toronto and other festivals, beginning domestic and overseas rollout in mid-November. It still has further majors to come including Japan (January 10) and China (date to be determined).
Titled Le Mans ’66 for many racing-mad European audiences who might be more familiar with the true story, the pic follows automotive visionary Carroll Shelby (Damon), British driver Ken Miles (Bale) and a team of American engineers and designers who were charged by Henry Ford II (Tracy Letts) with the mission of building from scratch a new race car to defeat the perennially dominant Ferrari at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Offshore, the movie is led by Russia with $10.1M. The Top 5 markets are rounded out by France ($9.4M), Korea ($9.3M), the UK ($7.9M) and Australia ($6.9M).
Awards bodies have been keen with the National Board of Review putting FVF in its Top 10 and with a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Picture (plus four more categories). There are also two SAG noms, for Bale and the stunt ensemble; and a Golden Globe mention for Bale. Further, the film has received Eddie, Art Directors Guild, CAS, and MPSE nominations and several critics association noms. It won three Hollywood Film Awards, for Director of the Year, Editor of the Year and Sound of the Year.
Disney believes in the movie as a very strong competitor and is putting a lot of fuel behind it.