What's with the trend of releasing movies outside the US first?

Question

A recent trend that I've noticed (or I'm just crazy and need to delete this question) is to release a major film **outside of the U.S. first**, even if it's a Hollywood film. Usually a week or so later the film gets released in the U.S.Why are movies being released this way?

Answer 1

The film industry is rapidly changing, becoming more international by the year. The domestic box office only makes up a fraction of what it used to, so it makes sense for big studios to release tentpole movies to the international market first to dissuade piracy.