Spectre tops U.S. box office but fails to beat Skyfall’s opening weekend

Whilst Spectre may not have lived up to Skyfall’s initial domestic takings in the U.S., bringing in $73 million as opposed to Skyfall’s $88.4 million, the first numbers for the global box office may show more promise.

“We never expected [Spectre] to open to the level of Skyfall”, Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, said.

Contrary to earlier reports claiming that this will be his last portrayal of famed spy James Bond and that there might be a new 007 casted on the block, actor Daniel Craig clarified his earlier comments, saying “maybe I’ll make another one”. That brings its worldwide total to a whopping $296.1 million already. James Bond made a strong return for the fourth installation with Daniel Craig in the role of 007.

Spectre also continued to perform extremely strongly in worldwide markets, after opening in the United Kingdom two weeks ago where it smashed box office records.

In second place, “The Peanuts Movie” was on track for $45 million in opening weekend sales, Fox reported.

In other Bond news, campaigners in Mexico have criticised the Mexican government for offering tax incentives for them to film in their country.

The Martian, Goosebumps and Bridge Of Spies rounded out the top five. The film opened No. 1 in all 71 territories and earned a total of $117.8 million. This was significantly higher than predicted, with industry insiders originally forecasting a $20-25 million range.

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest, a television staple around the holidays, had its first animated film from Blue Sky Studios, the same outfit responsible for the Ice Age series, and it appears the characters are a hit with kids as well as adults who can remember watching the TV specials growing up.

Though critics were less enthusiastic, audiences polled by CinemaScore on average gave “Spectre” an A-minus grade.

In limited release, Spotlight starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams enjoyed a solid start banking $302,000 from five theaters in NY, Los Angeles and Boston.

The film “Spectre” is an astounding achievement for a 50-year-old franchise, according to Rentrak’s senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian. Those new arrivals meant The Martian finally had to relinquish its spot at the top, but it only fell to third with $9.3 million and creeps ever closer to $200 million in the States alone.