By Kofi Outlaw

A certain animated rodent is ruling the world of movies, and for once it’s not Mickey. Remy, the CGI rat/chef is still pulling in the cheddar, as Disney’s RATATOUILLE remained No. 1 at the international box office for the fourth straight week, grossing $21.9 million in over thirty markets.

RATATOUILLE’S continued success is an impressive considering the film finished premiering to foreign markets some time ago. Countries where it finished first this past week included the U.K., Italy, China, Poland, Switzerland, and Scandinavia. The cumulative gross in Britain rose 3% to $36.3 million amid school holidays, pushing that the U.K. ahead of Japan for second place, behind France’s staggering $60 million bow.

In total the film has earned a whopping $346.8 million in overseas markets, (which is more than even Disney could’ve dreamt of,) brining its worldwide gross to $552 million, or as I like to call it, “a lot of cheese.” The film is paced to become the fifth film of 2007 to earn $400 million overseas, along with PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3, SPIDERMAN 3, HARRY POTTER 5 and SHREK 3. Interestingly enough, RATATOUILLE would be the only non-sequel on that list.

Enjoying a boost to its own impressive domestic debut, SAW IV earned an additional  $12.6 million overseas, while action-fantasy STARDUST continued to enjoy the success abroad it was denied in the states, adding $11.2 million to its $60 million foreign gross, more than double the paltry $22 million it earned domestically. Guess Europeans like seeing Robert De Niro as a gay pirate in tight chaps more than Americans do. Who would’ve guessed?

More and more it seems that foreign markets aren’t anything to sneeze at when you’re in the movie biz. After all, money is still money, no matter where in the world you go—except in those backwards places still run on the barter system. Three goats to a see a movie!? Oh for the days when a single chicken bought you a ticket and still left you enough to get some popcorn…