“Django Unchained” stole the spotlight in a week of high-profile overseas box office debuts and milestones. Quentin Tarantino’s slave saga, a Best Picture Oscar nominee, brought in a very strong $42.9 million over the weekend and is proving an international hit.

That was the best of any U.S. film at the foreign box office and comes on the heels of its $48 million international debut last weekend. It launched No. 1 in Australia ($.4.2 million) and New Zealand, and held the top spots for a second week in Germany ($8.1 million, $21 million total) and France ($6.6 million, $16.4 million), and was No. 2 in the U.K. ($3.8 million. $11.5 million).

With the $146 million “Django” has made in the U.S., where it is distributed by the Weinstein Company, its worldwide total is now $261 million.

In its first major overseas test, Universal debuted Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty” in five markets and took in $7.7 million. The film didn’t draw any of the criticism over its portrayals of torture that had followed it in the U.S., but neither did it ignite the box-office heat. It opened No. 4 in the U.K. With $1.6 million from 433 locations. It was No. 2 in France with $1.5 million.

Universal’s star-studded musical “Les Miserables” held the top spot in the U.K. for the third consecutive week and cleared the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office in the process. “Les Miz” added another $6 million this week to up its total there to $38 million after 17 days, making it the second-highest grossing film ever in the U.K., behind only “Mamma Mia.”

The same studio’s comedy “Ted” is going to pass $300 million at the overseas box office this week, after adding another $3.6 million in Japan last week.

“Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters” had a strong second week for Paramount, bringing in $25 million from 20 markets – it debuted at No. 1 in all but one – and raising its overseas total to $35.8 million. Brazil was the top market with $4.5 million.

“Life of Pi” opened No. 1 in Japan with $4.6 million for Fox and took in $17.5 million from 60 foreign markets in all. That upped the overall international gross for Ang Lee’s lyrical epic to $422 million.

Fox also had “Lincoln,’ like “Les Miz” and “Pi” a Best Picture Oscar nominee, in 22 foreign markets and it took in $10.7 million, led by a $2.7 million showing in the U.K. Delivering a surprising strong showing was Italy, where the Steven Spielberg-directed historical drama took in $2.7 million.