Revenues for The Abominable Bride pass $19m in China, $7m in South Korea, $2.7m in US.
BBC Worldwide has confirmed further success for the latest Sherlock special – The Abominable Bride – at the international box office.
The special episode – shown on New Year’s Day in the UK on BBC1, notching up 11.6 million viewers – was released in more than 6,000 screens in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
It has already been seen by over five million people in these countries to date.
It took number one spots in Hong Kong and South Korea for English language releases and for its Chinese premiere on January 4, it was the number one English language release at the box office for four days.
In South Korea, Sherlock even overtook Star Wars: The Force Awakens in its opening week and outsold the franchise 4:1.
In China its box office revenue has exceeded $19 million, while in South Korea, it has taken over $7 million.
In the US, the cinema event had the highest gross per-screen average out of the top 10 films of all nationwide releases, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and ranked number five in the box office overall. The theatrical events grossed $2.7 million in North America.
In Australia, the special grossed over Aus$750k from its limited theatrical release on January 2 and 3.
In Europe, the special was screened in 86 cinemas in Poland, with 37,000 fans enjoying the one-night event on January 7 and in Russia it was top of the box office on its January 4 debut based on per screen average with ticket sale revenues at 4.3 million roubles that day, despite having premiered on network television three days previously.
In the UK, the show received a very limited screening in select cinemas whilst being simulcast on BBC One. A total of 18,600 fans enjoyed the special on the big screen across 127 cinemas nationwide.
The licensing programme for Sherlock is being handled by BBC Worldwide, with further plans expected to be unveiled later this year.
Sally de St Croix, head of drama brands, BBC Worldwide, commented: “The intention was always to give Sherlock: The Abominable Bride a limited release to amplify the TV moment and create a piece of event cinema for fans to enjoy. We never expected it to outshine major Hollywood franchises at the box office and couldn’t be more thrilled with the results.”
