‘Skyfall’ Pulls in Huge Opening Weekend Internationally

I will finally see Skyfall this coming Tuesday as the wait has been killing me. For me American readers and those where the film has also yet to open I’m sure you’re wondering what I have to complain about considering it still doesn’t hit theaters until November 9 and those in Australia won’t even be getting it until November 22. Trust me, I’m not rubbing it in, but merely relaying my personal excitement as a longtime James Bond fan.

As for where the film has actually landed, it opened in several territories this weekend including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Denmark, Russia and Sweden and that’s just a handful of the locations listed by IMDb. And in those locations it managed a massive $77.7 million, with the bulk of it coming from the UK, which accounted for $32.4 million of that total.

Compared to the previous two Daniel Craig-led Bond entries, Casino Royale opened with $21.5 million in the UK and Quantum Of Solace opened with $24.7 million, which, at the time, was a record in 2008. Skyfall got things started on Friday with $9.9, smashing Quantum‘s previous Friday record of $7.8 million.

The domestic opening weekend record for a James Bond film is currently held by Quantum of Solace at $67.5 million, a massive number considering it remains the record even after adjusting prices for inflation. Skyfall will be opening not only in traditional theaters, but will be getting a boost from IMAX screens, which should make the upcoming release even that much more interesting from a financial stand point.

Here’s the current domestic top ten James Bond opening weekends courtesy of Box Office Mojo. Will Skyfall top the charts?

1. Quantum of Solace (2008) – $67.5 million (3,451 theaters)
2. Die Another Day (2002) – $47 million (3,314 theaters)
3. Casino Royale (2006) – $40.8 million (3,434 theaters)
4. The World Is Not Enough (1999) – $35.5 million (3,163 theaters)
5. GoldenEye (1995) – $26.2 million (2,667 theaters)
6. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – $25.1 million (2,807 theaters)
7. The Living Daylights (1987) – $11 million (1,728 theaters)
8. Never Say Never Again (1983) – $10.9 million (1,550 theaters)
9. A View to a Kill (1985) – $10.6 million (1,583 theaters)
10. Octopussy (1983) – $8.9 million (1,311 theaters)

Adjusted for Inflation

1. Quantum of Solace (2008) – $75.4 million (3,451 theaters)
2. Die Another Day (2002) – $64.9 million (3,314 theaters)
3. The World Is Not Enough (1999) – $56 million (3,163 theaters)
4. Casino Royale (2006) – $49.9 million (3,434 theaters)
5. GoldenEye (1995) – $48.3 million (2,667 theaters)
6. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) – $43.9 million (2,807 theaters)
7. Never Say Never Again (1983) – $27.8 million (1,550 theaters)
8. A View to a Kill (1985) – $24.1 million (1,583 theaters)
9. Moonraker (1979) – $22.7 million (788 theaters)
10. The Living Daylights (1987) – $22.6 million (1,728 theaters)

NOTE: Box Office Mojo does not have opening weekend numbers for all of the James Bond films.