Haute 100 NYC: ‘Spectre’ Rakes in $73 Million, According to Early Estimates

Over the weekend, the latest James Bond film has finally hit theatres, and it surely did not disappoint at the box office. Spectre, which stars Haute 100 lister Daniel Craig, $73m (£48.5m) between Friday and Sunday, according to early estimates.

Though early estimates aren’t shabby, Spectre did fail to top the record-breaking standard set by Skyfall, which debuted to $88.4 million in 2012. However, it is the second highest debuted for a Bond film. 

Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, said, “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.”

On American soil, this year Bond’s largest competition was the family-friendly The Peanuts Movie, which came in second place at $45 million. Internationally, the film opened No. 1 in 71 territories and earned a total of $117.8 million. It has earned a whopping $300 million worldwide in less than two weeks and still has yet to open in a few major markets, including China.

For the 24th Bond film, a cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.

As for Craig, his stint as Bond may unfortunately soon come to an end. The actor has hinted in interview that he is ready to hang up his character. Often described as the best Bond since Sean Connery, Craig has already found a new role. Craig is taking his star power and incredible acting skills to off-Broadway. Along side David Oyelowo, who played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the critically acclaimed movie Selma, Craig will star in the Shakespeare reboot of “Othello” at the New York Theatre Workshop.