Bond lands in the U.S. with 'Skyfall'

When FJI critic Frank Lovece calls Skyfall (3,505 theatres) "the best Bond film since the ’60s. Period," you know it will be a success. 92% of Rotten Tomatoes critics have also given a thumbs-up to the latest installment in the franchise. The years of waiting while MGM sorted out its bankruptcy paid off, giving those involved more time to polish the script and bring the series back to what it
used to be. The twenty-third Bond film has already earned $321 million overseas, so it's virtually guaranteed that Skyfall will have similar results at home. This is a "must see" feature that draws in people who rarely attend their local theatre. Expectations are cautious, and some predict that the latest Bond may not exceed the $67 million opening of 2008's Quantum of Solace. However, even if Skyfall does not open that high--but I think it will--it's already pretty clear that Bond's capers are so compelling, word-of-mouth will make this a strong player in the weeks to come. Besides the always-compelling performances of Daniel Craig as Bond and Judi Dench as M, Javier Bardem is the best Bond villain I've ever encountered. I can't think of many other actors who can play Julia Robert's love interest in Eat Pray Love, and then turn around and be an utterly creepy villain, as he has previously done in No Country for Old Men. Maybe Bardem can pull a Heath Ledger and snag an Oscar nomination for his role as the villain.

As a counterpoint to Skyfall, Steven Spielberg-directed Lincoln begins a limited release in 11 theatres. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as the sixteenth president in what's more of a political
procedural, a "handsomely mounted civics lesson" that gives audiences a "snapshot of a turbulent point in American politics," as described by FJI critic Daniel Eagan. The historical biopic has a scene-stealing supporting character, Tommy Lee Jones as the quick-witted Thaddeus Stevens, a powerful Senate member whose belief in equality for all races is considered too extreme by most other lawmakers. Lincoln will likely open extremely high because of Spielberg's pedigree, so the real test will be next week, when the Civil War-set tale expands to 1,500 theatres and must seek approval from a more general audience.

Rounding out the specialty offerings is A Royal Affair, a Danish-language love triangle between the king, the queen, and the royal physician. Johnny Knoxville and Patton Oswalt star in Nature Calls, a "good-natured send-up of the Boy Scouts," according to THR's John DeFore. Detroit's fire epidemic is highlighted in the documentary Burn: One Year on the Front Lines of the Battle to Save Detroit, which is opening in NYC.

On Monday, we'll see just how high Skyfall soared, and if its adult competitors Argo and Flight suffered from the release of the action and martini-fueled tentpole.

'Quantum of Solace' finds plenty of viewers

By Sarah Sluis

Exceeding all previous Bond openings, Quantum of Solace vaulted to $70.4 million at the weekend box office.  Overseas, it earned over $50 million in its third weekend, bringing the worldwide cumulative to
$322 million. 

At least in the United States, Quantum's success has much to do with its spy-like maneuvering to secure near-perfect, competition-free placement.  Rescheduling drama early this fall led to some aligned stars for Sony and MGM: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince moved to next summer, and Twilight rushed into the vacated spot, prompting kid picture Bolt to shift its release date. Quantum of Solace then moved up its release date to that of Australia , which jumped ship and moved its release date two weeks later (although now, with talks of production delays and changed endings, they were probably only too happy to give up their spot).  While the British audience usually sees their native-born spy before American audiences, the United States switches gave the European market an unusually long two-week lead in the release, and briefly left the Australian market to release duo blockbusters Quantum of Solace and Australia on the same weekend, before the Bond film conceded and moved forward its Australian release to this weekend.  Quite the chess game.

While critical reception was not as strong for the film, this had little influence on the box office.  I also think audiences have warmed up to Daniel Craig as James Bond.  Seeing another actor taking on the Pierce Brosnan role (the one I grew up with, although I've seen my share of Connery) was a bit of a transition, and I remember viewing Casino Royale with a skeptical eye, uncertain how Craig would inhabit the Bond character.  With two films under his belt, Craig has proven himself as a Bond with a remarkable and believable physicality, a man who, according to FJI critic Daniel Eagan, "looks like he could break the nearest neck without a second thought."

Below Bond, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($36.1 million) and Role Models ($11.7 million) held up the number two and three spots respectably, each dropping less than 50%.  Second-weeker Soul Men ($2.4 million) did not fare as well, dropping 55%, the soul train chugging into the seventh spot.  HSM3: Senior Year finished between Role Models and Soul Men, its $5.8 million bringing the film's cumulative total to $84.3 million.  Zack and Miri has held on, its $3.2 million pushing the film's total above boxofficemojo's reported production cost of $24 million (a figure that does not include marketing costs).  Hopefully, the Weinstein Company can sleep a little easier.

At number eight, The Secret Life of Bees ($2.4 million) n its fifth week of release, is the oldest film in the top ten.  Specialty picture Changeling ($4.2 million), which finished fifth in its fourth week of release, will likely follow a similar trajectory.

Horror pictures Saw V ($1.7 million) and The Haunting of Molly Hartley ($1.6 million) continue to hang on in the bottom five spots, each shifting down two spots to finish at number nine and ten.

Full weekend results available here.