Box Office: 'SPECTRE' Opens to Spectacular $6.4 Million in U.K. Monday Night
Daniel Craig at the ‘SPECTRE’ premiere in London (Matt Crossick/PA via AP)
By Alex Ritman, Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
Director Sam Mendes’ SPECTRE opened in the U.K. Monday night to a rousing $6.4 million from 647 locations after the movie held its world premiere in London.
From Sony and MGM, SPECTRE is launching in the U.K. more than a week before its Nov. 6 debut in North America.
While the 24th James Bond film is expected to be a sizable player, there’s been much discussion about whether it can match Skyfall, its record-breaking predecessor. Also directed by Mendes, Skyfall became the highest-grossing Bond of all time in 2012, with $1.1 billion in global ticket sales.
So far, SPECTRE is doing more business than Skyfall in many cinemas and made just as much Monday night as Skyfall did in its first full day of play in many more locations.
Related: Sam Mendes on Why He Returned to Direct Another Bond Film
Daniel Craig returns in the title role — possibly for the last time — and is joined by Monica Belluci and Lea Seydoux as the new Bond girls and Christoph Waltz as the main baddie.
Skyfall commanded a $32.3 million opening weekend in the U.K. in October 2012, shattering several records at the time, including the Saturday attendance record, as well as posting the No. 2 opening weekend in history, behind Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2.
According to U.K. distributor Vue Entertainment, ticket sales for SPECTRE are outstripping Skyfall, with 105,000 people watching the movie Monday night, and 9,942 showings of the film scheduled over the next two and half weeks. The film broke a company record with 81,500 tickets sold on Monday alone and a total of 310,000 tickets sold so far.
“People are booking breakfast with Bond before the boardroom, with 6 a.m. screenings filling up,” the company said.
Related: Will ‘SPECTRE’ Top 'Skyfall’ at the U.K. Box Office?
Watch a supercut of Daniel Craig’s cranky interviews:
