Thought that James Bond’s newest movie couldn’t top the box office for a second straight week? Never say never again, people. The world’s most famous secret agent used his gold finger to climb to the top again, renewing Spectre‘s license to make a killing.
Spectre rolled another strike with its thunderball, earning an estimated $35.4 million this weekend. That brings the flick’s domestic haul to $130.7 million. Worldwide, it’s already made more than half a billion dollars or thereabouts, including the equivalent of $6.3 million in a big chunk of the former Soviet Union. Talk about from Russia with love. Keep this up, and Bond won’t have to rely on Her Majesty’s secret service to make ends meet anymore. (Perhaps he could invest in diamonds. They’re forever, you know.)
But there was more to the weekend’s numbers than 007. Charlie Brown and company also made the box office’s little red-haired girl smile. The Peanuts Movie earned $24.2 million to finish second for the second straight week. And that ain’t, y’know, peanuts.
The Bond-Brown partnership was way, way too much for the weekend’s strongest newcomer. While audiences didn’t hate Love the Coopers, they certainly didn’t seem to like ’em, either. The star-studded Christmas comedy earned just $8.4 million—about a third of what Peanuts did and less than a fourth of Spectre’s haul.
The Martian finished fourth with $6.7 million, undermining (ahem) the debut of The 33. Antonio Banderas’ inspirational rescue drama earned applause from those who saw it (including me), but only $5.8 million got dumped down the shaft leading to the studio’s coffers. Perhaps it’ll dig up some additional treasure in the weeks to come.
For now, it seems, the world is not enough for Spectre—at least not until its returns rake the moon. But given that the grand finale of The Hunger Games series is coming to theaters, next weekend may be when we see moviegoers’ affections dwindle for the spy who loved them.
Final figures update: 1. Spectre, $33.7 million; 2. The Peanuts Movie, $24 million; 3. Love the Coopers, $8.3 million; 4. The Martian, $6.7 million; 5. The 33, $5.8 million.
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