He has the tux, his specially imprinted Walther PPK/S, his Aston Martin.
What does 007 not have in Skyfall? The No. 1 slot in this weekend’s box office derby.
James Bond was no match for a hoard of warring sparkly vampires. But then again, who thought he would be? Edward, Bella, Jacob and Co. overcame potential series fatigue and a seriously clunky title (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2) to trounce Bond and the rest of the weekend’s competition, ripping an estimated $141.3 million from moviegoers. The tally wasn’t quite enough to eclipse 2009’s New Moon, which set the franchise opening weekend record of $142.8 million. But was it enough to keep the Cullen clan in glitter? You bet it was.
But mourn not for Bond. Skyfall cleared another $41.5 million, bringing its 10-day total to $161.3 mil. That makes Skyfall the third highest-grossing Bond film in domestic history already, and boxofficemojo.com predicts it’ll pass current champ, Quantum of Solace, by Wednesday. And really, who are we to argue?
Lincoln landed in third place with $21 million—its first week in wide release. While those numbers might pale in comparison to the vampire squadron up top, it did just fine for a high-prestige, Oscar-bait sort of movie. And it did a lot better than Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter did when it opened earlier this year. Yes, Abe Lincoln was a fantastic president, but he’s no vampire killer.
Meanwhile, Wreck-It Ralph gathered in $18.3 million for a fourth-place finish, well ahead of Flight’s $8.6 mil.
Speaking of Oscar hopefuls, two such movies opened in a handful of theaters this weekend. Silver Linings Playbook won the indie derby, collecting $458,000 on 16 screens. Anna Karenina, based on Leo Tolstoy’s Russian novel, scored $315,000 (also on 16 screens).
If only Tolstoy had included a vampire or two in his classic story, it might’ve opened wider.
Final Figures Update: 1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 2, $141.1 million; 2. Skyfall, $41.1 million; 3. Lincoln, $21 million; 4. Wreck-It Ralph, $18.6 million; 5. Flight, $8.8 million. Another newcomer, the Indian romance Jab Tak Hai Jaan, finished in eighth place with $1.3 million. Silver Linings Playbook and Anna Karenina earned $443,000 and $321,000, respectively.
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