James Bond was not as efficient as one had initially
thought, but the superspy still scored big at the box office. Following
recalculations of the weekend’s gross results, “Quantum of Solace” saw its
debut weekend ticket sales drop to $67.5 million compared to a record $70.4
million estimate released on Sunday, according to studio estimates.
In spite of the fact that the adjusted total for the latest
007 flick is not as strong as the preliminary score, “Quantum of Solace” has
nevertheless registered a record opening in the United
States and Canada for the deep-rooted James
Bond film franchise.
The film starring Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko took in over
$26 million more than its prequel, 2006’s “Casino Royale,” which introduced the
current Bond star as the new agent 007, and effortlessly topped the previous
opening-weekend record for a Bond movie, held by “Die Another Day” with $47.1
million. The film starring the renowned Pierce Brosnan as the British superspy established
the record during its debut weekend in November 2002.
“Quantum of Solace” was made available overseas in late
October by MGM and Sony and hit U.S.
theaters only last week, after registering incredible results at international
box offices. The film has earned more than $250 million abroad, just a couple
of weeks following its long awaited release, while its cumulative gross through
Sunday was $322 million, with about $64.1 million worth of ticket sales in
Britain and approximately $26 million in France and Germany each.
The fact that the most recent Bond flick was released
bizarrely late in the United States and Canada may have been part of a domestic
sale strategy used by the film studios in order to lure big audiences into theaters
during the film’s debut weekend.
DreamWorks’ family flick “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” was
No. 2 at the weekend’s box office with $35 million, taking its total gross to
almost $117 million, while Universal Pictures’ “Role Models” earned more than $11
million and came in third, according to Media by Numbers.
“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” claimed the fourth
position with $5.6 million and saw its domestic total reach $84.1 million,
followed by Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” which grossed $4.2 million over the
weekend for a $27.6 million total.
“Zack and Miri Make a Porno” was No. 6 with $3.1 million and
“Soul Men,” starring the late Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson, was No. 7 with
$2.35 million, hardly surpassing “The Secret Life of Bees,” with $2.33 million.
“Saw V” came in ninth with $1.7 million and “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”
rounded out the Top 10 with $1.5 million, taking its domestic total to almost
$91 million.
The weekend’s Top 12 productions grossed over $137 million,
up 48 percent compared to the same period last year, when “Beowulf” held the
first spot at the box office with $27.5 million.