Quantum of Solace Dominating Movie Theaters

Sony/MGM’s Quantum of Solace grossed a commanding $56.1 million from 10,460 screens in 67 markets, assuring the 22nd chapter in the James Bond legacy a #1 overseas spot for a third consecutive weekend. Weekend overseas viewers, while down nearly 50% from the previous week, nonetheless provided Solace with the No. 1 spot in 61 of the 67 markets it played. The film’s foreign gross stands at $251.6 million, and its worldwide figures — including Solace’s $70.4 million, No. 1 debut domestically — stands at $322 million.

By comparison, Casino Royale, the 2006 series predecessor to Solace, grossed $599.1 million globally, with the bulk of that total ($432.1 million) coming from overseas markets. Contributing factors also include that the worldwide economy is hemorrhaging like whoa and an overall weaker dollar.

Despite facing a brick wall of currency woes, Solace, after three frames overseas, already has passed surpassed Casino’s market-gross totals in France, China, Korea, Russia, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Poland, Romania and Ukraine. Openings this week are set for Australia, Spain, South Africa and Peru. Solace’s overseas run of openings concludes with a Jan. 24 debut in Japan.