James Bond Still On Top At The U.s

The second weekend percentage hold for “Spectre” was stronger than both the second weekend percentage hold of 2012’s “Skyfall” and the second weekend hold of 2008’s “Quantum of Solace”.

It was another weekend of new arrivals stumbling in the face of solid holdovers at the American box office as Spectre handily retained its first place spot with $35.4 million. That stands as the largest opening weekend ever there for a 2D-only Hollywood film. In its two weeks in theaters “Spectre” has grossed $130.7 domestically. The overall worldwide weekend hauled in an estimated $152.6M from 91 markets pushing the offshore total to $413.1M (including $121M from the U.K.) and the global gross to $543.8M on its way to a possible billion. Released by CBS and Lionsgate, the PG-13 pic featured an ensemble cast that included Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfried, Marisa Tomei, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, and Ed Helms so the value pack of familiar names amounted to something. The audience was 70% female and 82% over 25.

Another debut, “The 33”, checked in at fifth place, with $5.8 million. Though the 2010 disaster, which trapped 33 miners underground, riveted the world for 69 days, moviegoers showed little interest in a dramatized version of the event starring Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Phillips.

Goosebumps and Bridge of Spies flip flopped from their Friday positions making $4.6 and $4.2 respectively.

And while the quirky family comedy did beat out the the other new release from this weekend, critics are not necessarily raving. With $1.5 million for the weekend, Hunter was able to bring its total to $26 million.

Hotel Transylvania 2 enjoyed another week in the top ten with $2.3 million. Written and directed by and starring Angelina Jolie, “Sea” reunites the actress with real-life husband Brad Pitt onscreen for the first time since 2005 action comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”. Reviews were mostly negative for the vanity project and the exclusive play plus big starpower did not add up to packed houses. For comparison, “Spotlight”, Tom McCarthy’s drama about the Boston Globe’s 2003 Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of priest sexual abuse, averaged $60,455 on five screens in its debut last week.

“Spectre”, is indeed full of references to past Bond movies, and ironically subverts the clichés that made Bond famous, like his favourite Martini, which, in this film, is neither shaken, nor stirred, but “Dirty”, the Tangiers scene that seems to wink at Wim Wenders” 1984 film, “Paris Texas” and Hitchcock’s 1959 “North by Northwest’ where he is picked up by a very old Rolls-Royce 1948 Silver Wraith in the middle of the desert, and the torture scene when he needs Madeleine Swann’s help to detonate his bomb-watch and save the day, or towards the end when he returns to pick up his old auto that was recently repaired after falling apart, much like the character himself.