Justin Timberlake’s films capture international audience

Is Justin Timberlake the latest Hollywood star to hold surprising clout overseas?

The singer-turned-actor is hardly Johnny Depp, but his last few films have done better abroad than domestically. “In Time,” his sci-fi action flick released in the U.S. three weeks ago, has already collected $53.7 million abroad compared with its $30.7-million stateside tally. The Andrew Niccol-directed movie is playing in 53 foreign countries and has performed best in Russia, where it has grossed $13.2 million. The film, which also stars Amanda Seyfried, has yet to open in a number of major international markets, including France and Japan.

The last film in which the actor had a major role, July’s romantic comedy “Friends With Benefits,” also did well abroad. The movie costarring Mila Kunis made $93.7 million internationally of its $149.5 million global total. Even “Bad Teacher” — the raunchy summer comedy in which he had a supporting role — and last year’s “Yogi Bear” — in which he voiced the animated sidekick Boo Boo — sold slightly more tickets in foreign countries than in the U.S.