Box Office: 'SPECTRE' Has Second Biggest Bond Opening Ever
By Pamela McClintock, Rebecca Ford
James Bond and Charlie Brown’s gang re-energized the North American box office after a dismal few weekends.
SPECTRE launched to $73 million from 3,972 theaters, the second-biggest opening for any film in the iconic spy franchise, and one of the top showings of the year to date. Still, some had expected the tentpole to approach $80 million domestically. Globally, SPECTRE took in nearly $200 million for the weekend for an early worldwide cume north of $300 million. In many foreign markets, it is pacing ahead of any preivous bond film.
The Peanuts Movie, looking to launch a new family film franchise, opened to $45 million from 3,897 locations, a solid start considering newer generations aren’t necessarily familiar with the late Charles M. Schulz’s famous comic strip. Overall revenue for the weekend is expected to clock in at $162 million, a record for the first full weekend of November. That’s good news for Hollywood following a string of high-profile misses.
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SPECTRE — James Bond’s 24th trip to theaters — couldn’t match the $88.4 million domestic debut of Skyfall November 2012, a series best, but it beat the openings of Casino Royale ($40.8 million) and Quantum of Solace ($67.5 million). All four films star Daniel Craig as 007.
Sony, MGM and Eon Productions, partners on the tentpole, say SPECTRE faced more competition than Skyfall, which had the weekend to itself in terms of new releases. SPECTRE played heavily male (62 percent) and older, with 75 percent of ticket buyers over the age of 25.
Skyfall’s Sam Mendes returned to direct SPECTRE, which follows 007 as he travels the globe attempting to uncover a sinister organization. Christoph Waltz joins as the villain, while Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci star as the new Bond girls. The film earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences, although the tentpole received the worst reviews of any of the Bond movies Daniel Craig has appeared in.
The tentpole cost at least $250 million to produce after incentives and rebates, so will need to do sizeable business at the global box office, or $900 million-plus by some estimates. SPECTRE is already breaking records in the U.K., where it earned $63.8 million in its first seven days, the largest opening of all time and beating Skyfall, which became the first Bond movie to cross $1 billion at the worldwide box office with $1.1 billion in global ticket sales.
The Peanuts Movie, costing just under $100 million to produce, coincides with the 65th anniversary of the strip and the 50th anniversary of the classic TV special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
From Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, Peanuts is truly a family affair, with Schulz’s son, Craig, and grandson, Bryan, co-writing the screenplay with Cornelius Uliano. In agreeing to hand over the film rights — a coup for Fox — the Schulz brood was insistent on retaining a certain amount of creative control. Steve Martino directed.
Peanuts enjoys strong reviews, as well as boasting an A CinemaScore. Families turned out in force (70 percent), while the audience skewed female (55 percent). Peanuts also played to an ethnically diverse audience, with Hispanics making up 26 percent of the audience.
The story follows Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the gang as they embark on an epic quest when Snoopy takes to the skies to pursue the Red Baron.
Elsewhere, Ridley Scott’s The Martian continued to prosper, falling to No. 3 in its sixth weekend with $9.3 million for a domestic total of $197.1 million, Scott’s top showing of all time, not accounting for inflation. His previous best was Gladiator ($187.7 million).
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As awards season heats up, the specialty box office sees the debut of three titles in select theaters: John Crowley’s period drama Brooklyn, starring Saoirse Ronan; Tom McCarthy's Spotlight , starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams; and Jay Roach’s Trumbo, starring Bryan Cranston.
Spotlight fared the best of the trio, grossing $302,276 from five theaters in New York, Los Angeles and Boston for a location average of $60,545, a strong showing for the filmmakers and Open Road Films. Spotlight follows the team of reporters and editors at The Boston Globe who exposed the Catholic Church child-molestation scandal.
Fox Searchlight opened Brooklyn on Wednesday to get a jump on the competition. The film, about a young Irish woman navigating life and love New York City in the 1950s, grossed $237,389, a solid showing for a period drama.
Trumbo, likewise opening in five theaters, debuted to $77,229 for a so-so location average of $15,445. The film, distributed by Bleecker Street, stars Cranston as blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.
