Daniel Craig and Satsuki Mitchell pose at the Australian premier of Quantum of Solace in Sydney, Sydney, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. Quantum of Solace is the 2nd 007 James Bond movie for Craig and the 22nd in the series. [Agencies]
(China Daily) James Bond's quantum of the weekend box office: $70.4 million. "Quantum of Solace," with Daniel Craig returning as Bond for the first direct sequel in the spy franchise, pulled in nearly $30 million more over opening weekend than its predecessor, 2006's "Casino Royale," according to studio estimates Sunday.
The debut also topped the previous opening-weekend record for a Bond flick, $47 million for 2002's "Die Another Day."
Adjusting for inflation, Sony's "Quantum of Solace" easily drew a bigger audience than that installment, the last Bond adventure featuring Pierce Brosnan. Based on 2002 admission prices, about 8.1 million tickets were sold for "Die Another Day" in the first weekend, compared to 9.8 million for "Quantum of Solace."
Two years ago, Craig was an unknown quantity as Bond, a stage-trained actor with little action experience and a resume that tended toward small, artsier films. Many fans were unhappy with the casting choice, but the critical and commercial success of "Casino Royale" silenced the critics.
"Quantum of Solace" picks up where "Casino Royale" left off, with Bond seeking to avenge the death of his lover.
"With 'Casino Royale,' people were rediscovering the franchise in a way with Daniel Craig as James Bond," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Quite frankly, they loved it. They loved the movie, and they loved him in the role, so I think by the time `Quantum of Solace' was ready, audiences in the U.S. as well as the world audience was way ready."
"Quantum of Solace" began rolling out overseas two weekends before its U.S. debut, and its worldwide total now stands at $322 million.
DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," which debuted at No. 1 the previous weekend, slipped to second place with $36.1 million, raising its 10-day total to $118 million.
"Quantum of Solace" gave a huge boost to overall revenues as Hollywood heads toward Thanksgiving, one of the year's busiest weekends at theaters. The top 12 movies took in $142.9 million, up 54 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Beowulf" led the box office with $27.5 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Quantum of Solace," $70.4 million.
2. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," $36.1 million.
3. "Role Models," $11.7 million.
4. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," $5.9 million.
5. "Changeling," $4.2 million.
6. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," $3.2 million.
7. "Soul Men," $2.43 million.
8. "The Secret Life of Bees," $2.4 million.
9. "Saw V," $1.8 million.
10. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley," $1.6 million.
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