This weekend James Bond was off to the races. The highly anticipated sequel to the 2006 hit Casino Royale proved to be a big hit with audiences although it needs to be said that it seems that the film's esteem among Bond-o-philes is coming in lower than among non-die hards. I understand where the sentiment is coming from, although I also believe they may be coming down on the film too hard and will find their opinion soften down the line upon multiple viewings. That said, the film is an exciting ride and a strong companion to Casino Royale. They are two halves of the same story, connecting to each other and creating a compelling "origin" for one of cinema's top super-spys.
Quantum of Solace leapt to the top of the charts with a strong opening, more than doubling the take of its nearest competitor, last week's top film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. It became the fifth biggest November opening, passing, again, the Madagascar sequel and trailing The Incredibles and three Harry Potter films. In its opening weekend it also became the biggest Bond opening ever, surpassing Die Another Day and looks poised to at least make a run for the top grossing Bond of all time (Casino Royale's $167 million). It becomes even more impressive when you look at its worldwide take — the film has already crossed the $300 million barrier. Not too shabby.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa had a strong second weekend showing, taking in more than $35 million. It will be interesting to see how much of an effect Bolt will have on it. I suspect that the new Disney film will have an opening in a similar neighborhood. It is not a sequel, but the commercials have been good and it has that Disney branding.
With only the one new film in wide release this weekend, the field had a pretty flat drop rate, most falling in the vicinity of 45%, and only two falling north of 50%. The two that dropped the most were Soul Men, which is sadly not doing as well as it should, and Saw V, which had to be expected considering its specific appeal and an expiration date for theatrical revenue (meaning, once Thanksgiving starts to kick up the horror season is over). At the other end of the spectrum is High School Musical, the film that just keeps going; each week sees small drops and plenty of added revenue as it steams towards $100 million. How long before we get another one?
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