Despite the worst box-weekend of 2015 in North America, in which comedic dramas like “Burnt” and “Our Brand Is Crisis” crashed and burned, things were looking much brighter overseas thanks to Sony’s “Spectre.” Combining sales from U.K. and international markets, “Spectre” grossed a whopping $80.4 million this past weekend —though that figure is based on seven days of release so far. But it’s the biggest seven day gross in the history of international box-office, overtaking the previous mark set by “Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.” “Spectre” even slightly surpassed the three-day U.K. opening of “Skyfall,” which opened to $32.5 million across the pond in 2012.
This bodes well for the film’s North American opening, which is said to hover around $80 million. But it will be a tall order for “Spectre” to hit the $1.1 billion worldwide total of its predecessor, given that “Skyfall” opened during the U.K. jubilee and the 50th anniversary of James Bond movies, which surely goosed box-office sales. Meanwhile, the question of whether or not Daniel Craig will return as 007 remains, though director Sam Mendes hasn’t been paying too much attention to the chatter.
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"I’m pretty unaware of most of it. While shooting, I don’t read the press and social media. I was only mildly aware of Daniel saying he didn’t want to play Bond again, because I’ve been too concerned with finishing the movie. But the speculation about who plays Bond … I think it’s fun," Mendes told THR. "That’s part of the joy of it. Who’s going to be the next Doctor Who? It doesn’t mean that you want to see the back of the current Doctor Who. Who would be interesting? Who would change [the role]? Who would make it fresh and new and different? Luckily, it’s not my decision."
"There’s so much speculation, it’s a bit like being England football manager. It’s a sort of national burden and it’s tricky to please everyone," the director continued. "I think that it’s entirely his call and I’m not sure he’s made up his mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if he just says he’ll see how this film goes down and have a think about it."
“Spectre” opens November 6th in the United States.
