These next few weeks we anticipate seeing a lot of major records in regards to Skyfall, and today we are hearing the first one that could have a little shock value. In the UK right now, the latest James Bond film is bigger than the final Harry Potter movie with $60 million through seven days against $57.6 million. Whether that had to do the iconic character’s involvement in the Summer Olympics opening ceremony may be up for debate (that kind of promotion does not grow on trees,) but it is fairly understood that this Sam Mendes-directed feature has taken things to a level never before seen in the franchise’s fifty year history.
We look at that news a mere week ahead of a planned domestic release that aims to wrangle up some mild November records. It is almost a certainty that Twilight will overshadow Daniel Craig’s latest effort in North America, but analysts are not prepared to write off a $100 million opening (+30% over Quantum of Solace) as a possibility versus $80 million consensus.
This is all seen in a prism where Skyfall cost only $150 million to make and is just the midway point in the Daniel Craig-led Bond era. In terms of the latter, John Logan is tasked with drafting the next two features on an accelerated time table that could see a follow-up in two years’ time. Fans need not worry of another Quantum of Solace though as that was largely blamed on the writers’ strike which left 007 without a finished script four years ago.