Sky’s the limit: Spectre tops US box office but misses Skyfall’s mark

New James Bond film Spectre has debuted with an estimated $73 million (£48.4m) at the US box office – the second biggest 007 opening of all time. Spectre took an easy first-place spot according to Rentrak estimates. The 24th film in the 53-year-old series stars Daniel Craig as the dapper spy and cost a reported $250 million (£165.7m) to produce. But it failed to live up to the record-breaking standard set by Skyfall, which debuted to $88.4m (£58.6m) in 2012 and went on to become the first film in the franchise to earn over one billion dollars (£663m) worldwide.

We never expected it to open to the level of Skyfall. It was a very different scenario. The competition was different, the weekend was different. One thing I am certain of is that the Bond franchise is as healthy and strong as ever.

Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution

Distributor Sony, who co-produced the film with Eon Productions and MGM, tried to manage expectations going into the weekend, predicting an opening in the $60m range. Spectre’s worldwide take is a different story. The film opened number one in all 71 territories and earned a total of $117.8m. It has earned a whopping $300m worldwide in less than two weeks and still has yet to open in a few major markets, including China. Stateside, though, reviews have been mixed, and Spectre, unlike Skyfall, had competition in its first weekend in cinemas with another beloved set of characters - Charlie Brown and Snoopy. The Peanuts Movie provided a family-friendly alternative to James Bond’s guns and martinis and took second place with a strong $45m.

It’s still a great number. For a franchise that’s over 50 years old, it’s really an astounding achievement.

Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s senior media analyst