United States Gears Up For James Bond

If the success of Quantum of Solace around the world so far is anything to judge by, then things are looking very good for James Bond’s upcoming debut in the United States and Canada this weekend.

Opening with little direct competition this weekend, the 22nd Bond film featuring Daniel Craig is expected to be a monumental success at the box office, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

‘This is arguably the most anticipated movie of the holiday season and therefore expectations are quite high,’ said Paul Dergarabedian of box office watcher Media by Numbers. ‘I think we are going to see tremendous numbers.’

Industry experts are predicting a $50 million+ opening weekend, with the possibilty of reaching $60 million not ruled out. This would place Quantum well above Casino Royale‘s US debut of $40.8 million and the all-time record for the Bond series, Die Another Day‘s $47.1 million take.

Bond fans will remember this was not quite the case with Casino Royale two years ago when it went up head-to-head with Happy Feet in the US. While 007 took the opening day award, it was the penguins the ultimately (just barely, mind you) won the weekend’s box office, besting Casino Royale‘s $40.8 million with its $41.5 million take.

The film is scheduled to open on 3,400 screens come Friday, with 12:01am showings taking place at 1,600 of them.

Due to the film’s varied release schedule, which saw it enter 60+ markets around the world before debuting in the US, Quantum of Solace had already grossed more than $180 million as of this Tuesday.

‘The Bond movies belong to the world,’ Sony domestic distribution president Rory Bruer said. ‘They’re popular around the world, so getting the dates right–whether domestic or elsewhere–was particularly important.’

He continued: ‘I certainly believe the buzz is out there, with regard to what it’s doing throughout the world. The world is a much smaller place, and that resonates back to the U.S. as well.’

Opening Quantum of Solace earlier than usual in piracy-prone territories such as China has helped prevent unauthorized copies of the Bond film spread around the internet before it even hits theatres.

‘All that has shown up is an unwatchable version on the Internet of really, really poor quality,’ Bruer said.

Stay tuned to the CommanderBond.net main page for all the latest details as Quantum of Solace continues to open around the world. We’ll have all the latest fan and critic reactions, box office news and much more.

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