007 smashes box office record
Los Angeles - The new James Bond movie shook up the UK box office during its first day of release on Thursday, earning more than any other film in the spy franchise, distributor Columbia Pictures said.
Casino Royale, which marks the 007 debut of Daniel Craig, sold £1.7m worth of tickets, a 54% increase over comparable sales for the previous Bond film and first-day record-holder, 2002's Die Another Day.
In all, two-thirds of all movie tickets sold in Britain were for Casino Royale, the Sony Corp-owned studio added.
The film opens in the United States and Canada on Friday. Of the 27 international territories where Casino Royale is debuting this weekend, Britain and Russia are the largest.
With a budget of around $100m and marketing costs almost as much, the film, directed by New Zealand-born Martin Campbell, must be a hit to make money.
Die Another Day, the last Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan, earned an impressive $430m at the box office. The 20 official Bond films have amassed nearly $4bn in ticket sales worldwide.
News source: www.news24.co.za
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