It’s a phrase that seemed to accompany almost every single box office report for Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale two years ago and it’s back again: record-breaking.
Variety reports that Quantum of Solace got of to a momentous start in the UK yesterday with a stuning $8 million (£4.94 million) debut–the biggest Friday opening of all time in the UK.
In comparison, the previous record holder was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which had a $6.5 million (£4 million) opening. Along with Thursday previews, Casino Royale managed $4.7 in its opening day.
As earlier reported, bookers were predicting a UK weekend debut of $21 million (£13 million) for James Bond, but this incredibly strong opening day points to the possibility of Quantum surpassing these forecasts.
CommanderBond.net will be tracking all the box office numbers as Quantum continues to debut around the world in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned.
As always, keep your browsers pointed to CBn for all the latest-breaking James Bond news.
CelebrityRadio.co.uk features a new audio interview with David Arnold, current composer for the James Bond series.
David Arnold
25 minutes in length, Arnold discusses the integral process of creating the theme songs for the films and how this relates to writing the score (plus the challenges that arise when he does not have a say in the title theme, such as Madonna’s ‘Die Another Day’), tieing in to specific elements in the films, the Jack White-Alicia keys duet ‘Another Way To Die’, following on from John Barry and much more.
Describing the key importance of music in the world of 007 and the high expectations for Quantum of Solace, Arnold says: ‘The world waits, especially after Casino Royale, with baited breath about what it is that you’re going to be doing next…’
Click here to listen to the David Arnold interview online.
Stay up-to-date with complete James Bond coverage at CommanderBond.net–your #1 source for all the latest Quantum of Solace clips and news.
Pinewood Studios, home of the James Bond films, have released a two minute making-of video highlighting its involvement in Quantum of Solace.
Featuring interviews with executive producer Callum McDougall and director Marc Forster, the video showcases some of the film’s scenes that were filmed at the studio, including the Siena holding area where Mr. White is interrogated by 007 and ‘M’, the art gallery where Bond battles with Henry Mitchell and the ESO Hotel.
As McDougall states, Pinewood and its famous 007 Stage is ‘a secure place to deliver a film with the complexity of a James Bond movie.’
With Quantum of Solace opening in theatres all throughout the UK today, predictions for that all important first weekend at the box office are coming in.
According to Variety, bookers are predicting that the 22nd James Bond film will haul in £13 million pounds (about $21 million) between Friday and Saturday.
This total would place it roughly alongside Daniel Craig’s 007 debut, Casino Royale, which took in £13.49 million during its opening weekend in the UK two years ago.
As expected with each new Bond film, expectations are high for Quantum of Solace. The film has had extremely strong advance ticket sales and received an extra publicity boost thanks to its royal world premiere in London’s Leicester Square two days ago.
CommanderBond.net will be tracking all the box office numbers as Quantum continues to debut around the world in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned.
As always, keep your browsers pointed to CBn for all the latest-breaking James Bond news.
With only a few days to go until Quantum of Solace has it’s German premiere at the Berlin Sony Centre, mobile event architecture company ZENDOME has announced their special involvement in the event.
Temporary Architecture for James Bond Premier Event
Daniel Craig is James Bond in Quantum of Solace
Mobile Event Architecture by the Berlin company ZENDOME supports the German Premier of the 22nd James Bond film on 3rd November 2008.
The Berlin company ZENDOME provides mobile architecture for the premier the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, on 3rd November 2008, the most important film adventure of the year. Sony Pictures presents the German premier at the Potsdamer Platz where Daniel Craig brings glamour to the capital as the most famous secret agent in film history.
In order to provide an aesthetically round evening for the film team and the German VIPs, Sony Pictures first invites the premier guests into the elegant semi sphere of the ZENDOME. In true Bond style they are welcomed exclusively in the geodesic dome before they meet the photographers and fans on the red carpet. This will make the event an extraordinary piece of art following the spectacular style of the British secret agent 007.
The production designer Ken Adams recently received the Lucky Strike Design Award for the sets of some of the Bond classics. Like no other film worlds they stand for elegance, design and innovation.
Guests for the premier party of Sony Pictures are going to be: the main character Daniel Craig, director Marc Forster, producer Barbara Broccoli, Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko as well as the actors Anatole Taubman and Jesper Christensen. Of course a lot of German VIPs will also be present when a glamorous night kicks off at the Berlin Sony Centre.
Theatre release in Germany for Quantum of Solace is 6th November.
The Berlin based company stands for the future, for overcoming formal boundaries and the aspiration of a perfect experience of space. The focus is on the essential, the original: the organic form of the hemisphere.
ZENDOME stands for highest aesthetic demands with a minimum of material and largest possible interior space. The sustainability of ZENDOME lies in its variability. The simple but solid structure creates possibilities for design and innovative materials.
ZENDOME also means flexibility. Because in form also lies freedom. ZENDOME’S potential for variation is the ideal basis for any kind of event. This is the real challenge.
Synergies are created: Whatever the concept and planning require must be met with innovative material and its use right up to the point of construction. The construction of every ZENDOME is realized in cooperation with highly qualified companies in production, textile manufacturing and metalwork.
ZENDOME – exclusive space for special occasions www.zendome.com
Stay up-to-date with complete James Bond coverage at CommanderBond.net–your #1 source for all the latest Quantum of Solace clips and news.
James Bond gamers in the US are in luck thanks to a newly announced Quantum of Solace event going on at Best Buy stores throughout the country…
Activision has teamed up with Best Buy to celebrate the launch of James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace the game on Xbox 360, PS3, Nintendo Wii and other platforms.
136 nationwide Best Buy stores will pry their doors open at midnight on November 3, 2008 to sell the game to eager and ready for sleep deprivation Bond fanatics.
In addition, the store in West Hollywood will open at 10pm on November 3 to offer prizes ranging from Best Buy gift cards from $10.00 – $2,500.00, to one Sony BRAVIA XBR 52″ 1080p Flat-Panel LCD HDTV, three PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment systems, and more to be determined.
On top of that, anyone in line at 10pm will be amongst the first to play the new Bond theme song ‘Another Way to Die’ performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys on Guitar Hero World Tour.
Click here for a list of participating Best Buy store locations.
According to Shacknews, the ‘Another Way to Die’ theme will be released for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms on 7 November, priced at 160 Microsoft Points ($2.00). A Wii release is yet to be confirmed.
CommanderBond.net will continue to keep you updated with the most up-to-date and complete coverage of Activision’s Quantum of Solace.
Quantum of Solace is released on the following formats: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and Windows PC.
Following up it’s release just a few days ago, reviews by music critics and fans alike have started to come in for David Arnold’s latest score in the James Bond series, Quantum of Solace.
Soundtrack Geek was relatively pleased with Arnold’s work this time around, giving the soundtrack a score of 8/10.
Quantum of Solace Soundtrack
Breaking the review down into sections focusing on the action, romance and ‘Another Way To Die’ title theme incorporations, Soundtrack Geek examines several specific tracks and brings up comparisons to Arnold’s most recent effort, 2006’s Casino Royale. ‘Time To Get Out’, ‘Pursuit At Port Au Prince’ and ‘Night At The Opera’ are chosen as the standouts.
The overall conclusion? ‘While Quantum may not have as many explosive highlights of past Bond scores, we can take solace in the fact that Arnold’s more layered approach is almost as good.’
The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling, the novel that concludes Samantha Weinberg’s brilliant but sadly overlooked James Bond spin-off trilogy, is out now in paperback.
The Moneypenny Diaries: Final Fling
The book concludes the famous secretary’s adventures, which began in 2005’s The Moneypenny Diaries: Guardian Angel and 2006’s The Moneypenny Diaries: Secret Servant.
The paperback edition features the same stunning Stina Persson artwork that adorned the hardcover release.
The synopsis of Final Fling (which contains spoilers, for those who have not read the first two novels) follows.
Final Fling combines the excitement of a cold war spy thriller with the mystery of a contemporary detective story. In the 1964/65 volume of her private diaries, Jane Moneypenny reports her demotion from the position of M’s secretary as the British Secret Intelligence Service is hit by a series of defection scandals. Facing considerable personal danger, she combines forces with 007 in a resolve to smoke out the mole she is convinced is buried deep in the heart of the Office. But, when Bond is sacked and M is forced into retirement, Moneypenny finds herself on her own…
Forty-two years later, Miss Moneypenny’s niece and heir, Kate Westbrook, starts to suspect that her aunt’s death was no accident. She is sure the clues to what happened lie in the search for the mole. As she pieces them together, however, she realizes that there are significant forces who are determined to prevent her finding the truth.
From the glamour of 1960s Jamaica to the treacherous beaches of the Outer Hebrides, Final Fling reveals just how far people are prepared to go to defend – or betray – their beliefs, and relates the life and death, and surprising final love, of the world’s most famous fictional secretary.
Keep watching CommanderBond.net for the latest literary James Bond news.
In addition to the theatrical debut of Daniel Craig’s Quantum of Solace in the UK, today marks the release of Activision’s game of the same name.
Eagerly awaited by James Bond gamers, Quantum of Solace The Game is available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Playstation 2, Nintendo DS and Windows PC platforms. All are currently shipping from Amazon.co.uk.
Quantum of Solace
Enter the world of international espionage with that most famous of agents: James Bond. Based on the Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace films, this hard-hitting game delivers all the intense action and suspense you expect from the Bond franchise. Join 007 for dangerous and deadly intrigue across far-flung locations as you experience high-octane action that leaves you both shaken and stirred.
Combining the intensity of 1st-person shooters with 3rd-person cover combat, Quantum of Solace puts you in control of the fiendishly clever mind of James Bond. Use of all of Bond’s deadly skills, including punishing maneuvers, expert marksmanship, tactical skills and stealth, to overcome dangerous and deadly foes. An advanced artificial intelligence makes adversaries react in intelligent ways, so you have to stay sharp and alert. Take on thrilling missions in exotic lands and interact with characters from both Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Smile at danger as only Bond can, and neutralize enemies with the cool efficiency of a “00” operative.
Features
Step into the shoes of James Bond as you embark on an adventure in international espionage and intrigue
Based on events and characters in the Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace films
Put your best Bond skills to the test, including tactical combat, precision shooting, crushing takedowns and deadly stealth
Battle clever enemies thanks to advanced AI systems that allow enemies to react to you in intelligent ways
Experience all the exotic locations and glamorous characters that round out the world of 007
Go online in multiplayer modes for up to 12 players that include unique Bond modes
As probably everyone in the universe of James Bond fandom is well aware, the world premiere of Quantum of Solace took place at London’s Leicester Square last night and as expected the event turned out to be a royal success.
As evidenced in the recently posted video coverage and photographs (more than 400 of them, no less), many key cast and crew members from the 22nd 007 film as well as Princes William and Harry walked the red carpet to meet with fans and reporters.
Quantum cast and crew members in attendance included Daniel Craig along with girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Gemma Arterton, Anatole Taubman, Dame Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Jesper Christensen, Simon Kassianides, director Marc Forster, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson and title song performer Jack White.
Sony Pictures has released their own video report from the event, which can be viewed below:
‘It’s fantastic,’ commented Michael G. Wilson to a reporter. ‘It’s wonderful. To meet the princes, it’s going to be a fantastic evening.’
‘It’s a big challenge to come back and hopefully do as well, if not surpass Casino Royale. But Marc’s done a great job and Daniel is better than ever, so we have some hopes.’
Asked by a reporter whether it was important or not to make Craig’s second film a bit different compared to many other entries in the series (the shorter running time came up as an example), Barbara Broccoli said: ‘Well, it’s a continuation of Casino Royale. And so Bond has a kind of emotional conflict within him and he also has to go out and seek Quantum, the organization that was behind Vesper’s death. So he’s got a big job on his hands and it’s a pretty exciting movie.’
Marc Forster echoed the sentiments: ‘It’s pretty phenomenal. It’s an extremely special event and I’m extremely honoured to be here. I personally think it’s sort of character-driven Bond film, but it has a lot of action, but with a lot of emotional storytelling as well.’
Absolute Radio was one of the many interviewers at the event and have posted their report online:
‘It’s incredible,’ said Gemma Arterton, or Bond girl Agent Fields. ‘Really, really incredible. I can’t believe it’s happening. It feels like–everybody’s said it–but it feels like a big dream. A year ago I would have never, ever, ever, ever imagined I’d ever work, let alone be at a Bond premiere.’
The surviving villains from the film, namely Jesper Christensen (Mr. White) and Simon Kassianides (the mysterious Yusef) were grilled by reporters to see if they could divulge any details about what is planned for Bond 23.
‘It seems to be bigger than it was last time, which is saying something.’ – Daniel Craig
‘It’s not so easy to get me, it seems,’ was all Christensen would reveal. Kassianides had a similar reply: ‘I can’t comment on that, I don’t know. The honest truth is that I don’t know.’
Jeffrey Wright summed up the entire night perfectly: ‘London is the place to launch a Bond film. We were here two years ago and the energy is just brilliant, so it’s great night.’
Keep your browsers firmly locked on CommanderBond.net throughout all the upcoming weeks as Quantum of Solace goes on general worldwide release beginning this Friday, 31 October.
CBn will continue to keep you updated with all the latest Quantum of Solace coverage, including interviews, news reports, box office details, clips, photos, and more. There are currently more than 750 articles in our main page and Quick News sections.
