U.S. actress Megan Fox poses she arrives for the Russian premiere of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" at Novy Arbat street in Moscow, June 16, 2009. [Agencies]

LOS ANGELES - Playing in only Britain and Japan ahead of its worldwide bow on Wednesday, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" nonetheless premiered at No. 1 on the international circuit during the weekend, rolling up a total of almost $20 million.

Director Michael Bay's sci-fi action sequel opened at No. 1 in both countries, with $14.1 million from the U.K. and $5.8 million from Japan.

The explosive saga of shape-shifting robots, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, outperformed the 2007 original's opening weekends by 71% in the U.K. and 13% in Japan, according to Paramount.

Placing second was "Terminator Salvation," the top pick for the previous two weekends. The fourth title in the action series, starring Christian Bale, grossed $18.4 million from 74 territories to raise its international total to $200 million.

"The Hangover" was No. 3 with $11.7 million. Top markets included the U.K. ($3.8 million) and Australia ($2.6 million). Its overseas total stands at $30.4 million.

"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" followed with $10.4 million from 68 markets and hoisted its international total to $192.5 million.

In fifth place was the No. 1 domestic title, the Sandra Bullock romantic comedy "The Proposal," which opened in 10 foreign markets and rang up a solid $10 million overseas tally. No. 1 bows were recorded in Australia ($3.3 million), Russia ($2.8 million), Belgium and the Netherlands.

Other foreign totals include: "Angels & Demons," $329.2 million; "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," $183 million; "Star Trek," $122.2 million; "Hannah Montana: The Movie," $51.3 million; "Up," $38.8 million; "State of Play," $35.8 million; "Drag Me to Hell," $18 million; "Land of the Lost," $5.9 million; and "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," $5 million.