Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” has launched in first place in seven European markets that opened Wednesday, July 19 with a total of $2.2 million for Warner Bros., Variety said.

France launched with $1.1 million with 143,000 admissions on 668 screens, outperforming the opening day gross for Nolan’s “Interstellar” by 68% and equal to “American Sniper.”

Scandinavian markets also generated $656,000 for the region, with Sweden commanding a 53% share of the total market, Norway at 52%, and Finland at 40%.

“Dunkirk” opens in 24 additional territories Thursday, including Russia, Korea and Australia. The UK and Spain follow on Friday, for a total of 46 markets for the weekend.

“Dunkirk” will open in the U.S. on Friday amid expectations of a launch in the $30 million to $35 million range as it sets sail in more than 3,600 venues. The movie is getting the widest 70MM release in more than two decades, which is a testament to the trust the backers have in Nolan. The director shot much of “Dunkirk” with Imax’s extremely high-resolution 2D film cameras.

The movie, based on the 1940 evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops from France, stars Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, and Harry Styles. Film critics have been impressed and offered extensive praise for the cinematography, direction, acting and musical score.