Audiences bond $67 million to 'Quantum of Solace'

LOS ANGELES — It's a Bond market.

"Quantum of Solace," with Daniel Craig returning as James Bond, easily made for the best opening weekend for the spy franchise, earning more than $67 million at the box office. The series' first direct sequel opened with nearly $30 million more than its predecessor, 2006's "Casino Royale."

(enlarge photo) In this file image released by Sony Pictures, Daniel Craig stars as James Bond 007 in pursuit of an Mi6 traitor in a scene from 'Quantum of Solace.' (AP Photo/Sony Pictures, Susie Allnutt, FILE)

The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Media By Numbers LLC:

1. "Quantum of Solace," Sony/MGM, $67,528,882, 3,451 locations, $19,568 average, $67,528,882, one week.

2. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa," Paramount, $35,017,301, 4,065 locations, $8,614 average, $116,905,195, two weeks.

3. "Role Models," Universal, $11,150,030, 2,798 locations, $3,985 average, $37,577,245, two weeks.

4. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," Disney, $5,656,162, 3,202 locations, $1,766 average, $84,169,216, four weeks.

5. "Changeling," Universal, $4,254,080, 1,896 locations, $2,244 average, $27,631,772, four weeks.

6. "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," Weinstein Co., $3,146,312, 2,210 locations, $1,424 average, $26,465,482, three weeks.

7. "Soul Men," MGM, $2,350,141, 2,048 locations, $1,148 average, $9,370,925, two weeks.

8. "The Secret Life of Bees," Fox Searchlight, $2,338,279, 1,449 locations, $1,614 average, $33,627,359, five weeks.

9. "Saw V," Lionsgate, $1,767,405, 2,002 locations, $883 average, $55,380,488, four weeks.

10. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," Disney, $1,579,080, 1,617 locations, $977 average, $90,878,127, seven weeks.

11. "Eagle Eye," DreamWorks/Paramount, $1,463,140, 1,214 locations, $1,205 average, $98,738,396, eight weeks.

12. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley," Freestyle Releasing, $1,438,561, 1,587 locations, $906 average, $12,484,484, three weeks.

13. "Fireproof," Samuel Goldwyn, $1,255,877, 862 locations, $1,457 average, $30,198,386, eight weeks.

14. "Rachel Getting Married," Sony Pictures Classics, $1,051,365, 391 locations, $2,689 average, $6,945,965, seven weeks.

15. "Body of Lies," Warner Bros., $674,495, 625 locations, $1,079 average, $38,246,741, six weeks.

16. "Dostana," Yash Raj, $645,604, 74 locations, $8,724 average, $645,604, one week.

17. "Max Payne," Fox, $620,337, 845 locations, $734 average, $39,963,832, five weeks.

18. "The Dark Knight," Warner Bros., $502,334, 346 locations, $1,452 average, $529,143,070, 18 weeks.

19. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Miramax, $474,390, 38 locations, $12,484 average, $827,683, two weeks.

20. "Appaloosa," Warner Bros., $454,518, 737 locations, $617 average, $19,413,695, nine weeks.

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Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.

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