Month: October 2012

Categories
Star Wars

I have a bad feeling about this!!

Disney to buy ‘Star Wars’ for $4.05B

Walt Disney Co has agreed to buy filmmaker George Lucas’s Lucasfilm Ltd and the “Star Wars” franchise for $4.05 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that adds one of the most beloved franchises in entertainment history to Disney’s lineup.

Disney said there would be a new series of “Star Wars” feature films as part of the deal, with the first movie expected in 2015. Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger, in prepared remarks for analysts, said the plan was to release a new movie in the series every two to three years thereafter.

Lucas, a Hollywood icon known for exercising control over the most minute details of the fictional universe he created, will remain as a creative consultant.

“It‘s now time for me to pass ’Star Wars’ on to a new generation of filmmakers,” he said in a statement. Besides “Star Wars,” the deal also includes rights to the “Indiana Jones” franchise, though Disney did not elaborate on any plans for that series.

Disney will pay about half the purchase price in cash and issue about 40 million shares at closing. Chief Financial Officer Jay Rasulo, in prepared remarks, said the deal would lower Disney’s earnings per share by a low single-digits percentage in fiscal 2013 and 2014.

Categories
James Bond

I do so hate spoilers!!!

James Bond fans beware: Wikipedia reveals major ‘Skyfall’ spoiler

LOS ANGELES – James Bond fans beware – Wikipedia’s entry for the latest 007 film “Skyfall” contains spoilers big enough to drive an Aston Martin through.

It’s a posting that includes a full plot summary, which jeopardizes major twists involving the fate of one character and the future of MI6, the agency Bond calls home. Seriously, reading Wikipedia will have Bond devotees reaching for their vodka martinis.

Don’t worry, we won’t spoil it, but best to steer clear of the web’s encyclopedia if you want to stay in the dark.

How did that happen? “Skyfall’s” secrets have remained closely guarded throughout its development and production, with the film’s producers teasing out key details, such as the singer behind the film’s theme song (it’s Adele!) and the bizarre blonde appearance of chief villain Javier Bardem, until the last possible moment.

But all that intrigue went up in smoke after “Skyfall” opened overseas in countries like the United Kingdom and Russia two weeks before its U.S. debut. The good news for the film’s backers is that new James Bond movie “Skyfall” is off to a roaring start, collecting $77.7 million in 25 markets last weekend. Featuring Daniel Craig in his third appearance as the skirt-chasing superspy, “Skyfall” opens stateside on November 9.

A spokesman for Sony, the studio handling Bond’s distribution, said that on a crowd sourced site like Wikipedia, it is difficult to police spoilers after a film has opened.

“Skyfall’s” Wikipedia problem is instructive for Hollywood given that many major films, such as last summer’s “Battleship,” are choosing to open early overseas before hitting the domestic marketplace, leaving them open to spoilage.

Categories
Television

The show must go on!!

Superstorm causes major entertainment disruption

David Letterman didn’t get many laughs for his monologue Monday: The “Late Show” host told his jokes to a mostly empty Ed Sullivan Theater.

Jimmy Fallon taped “Late Night” without an audience, too, as Hurricane Sandy disrupted a wide swath of the New York area’s bustling entertainment industry.

City officials said that all film permits for Monday and Tuesday were revoked because of the hurricane and associated safety precautions.

“There will be no city authorized outdoor filming within the five boroughs,” read a statement Monday from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting.

Production on at least nine shows was affected, including “Gossip Girl,” ”Person of Interest” and “Elementary,” according to the Los Angeles Times. “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” also took Monday night off, and each of Broadway’s 40 theaters will be dark through Tuesday.

The storm forced Focus Features to cancel the New York premiere of “Anna Karenina,” which was set for Tuesday. A studio spokeswoman said they will reschedule.

Concerts planned for New York and New Jersey were canceled or postponed, including performances by Journey, comedian Louis C.K., and the “Freedom to Love Now” show featuring Rufus Wainwright and fun., which is now set for spring of 2013.

Radio City Music Hall was shuttered until Wednesday. Carnegie Hall postponed concerts planned for Tuesday. Off-Broadway shows and even national tours of Broadway shows like “Anything Goes,” currently in Wilmington, Del., closed their doors.

It was the most detrimental storm for the theater community since the threat of Hurricane Irene in late August 2011 prompted producers to cancel matinee and evening performances on both a Saturday and Sunday.

East Coast charity galas were also canceled, and fashion designer Prabal Gurung postponed the unveiling of his anticipated collection for Target until next week.

Some network schedules were shaken up by the widespread power outages cutting into the available TV audience in the East.

CBS planned to air repeats instead of new episodes Monday of “How I Met Your Mother,” ”Partners,” ”2 Broke Girls” and “Mike & Molly.” A CBS News special on Sandy was to follow at 10 p.m. EDT, pre-empting “Hawaii Five-O.”

The CW also was set to air repeats of “90201” and “Gossip Girl.”

ABC said it was sticking to its schedule of new episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” and “Castle.” Fox was to air a previously scheduled rerun of “The X Factor,” which had been planned if the San Francisco-Detroit World Series ended, as it did, in four games.

NBC did not immediately respond concerning the status of its Monday schedule, which included “The Voice” and “Revolution.”

“Good Morning America,” the “Today” show and “CBS This Morning” were expected to air live as usual Tuesday with extensive storm coverage.

Sandy took a toll on the movie box office even before it made landfall. Ticket sales were down more than 11 percent compared to the same weekend last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. This weekend’s top film, “Argo,” collected $12.1 million. The top film during the same weekend in 2011, “Puss in Boots,” earned $34 million.

Categories
The Couch Potato Report

Need something to watch during Hurricane Sandy? Here are some ideas.

The Couch Potato Report – October 27th, 2012

Inside this week’s Couch Potato Report is Magic Mike, another trip to Madagascar and we’re off on a mystery tour.

It is the final weekend before Halloween, the final opportunity for the studios to release some cinematic scares, and I have a made-in-British Columbia horror thriller to let you know about this morning starring Toronto born actor Eric McCormack from the television series WILL & GRACE.

Yes, in BARRICADE the guy known around the world as a comedian now plays a father who takes his kids to a cabin in the woods to help them get away from it all…but what starts as a quiet retreat turns into a fight for survival!!

BARRICADE is not the scariest film you will see this pre-Halloween Weekend, but it does have some pretty good frights and scary delights as it tells a tale of things that go bump in the night.

Call that a mild recommendation…and for my reviews of other recent horror thrillers for All Hallow’s Eve, including AMERICAN HORROR STORY, THE CABIN IN THE WOODS and HALLOWEEN 4 go to cbc.ca/couchpotato.

Channing Tatum is an actor who has appeared in the films G.I. JOE, DEAR JOHN, THE VOW, 21 JUMP STREET and HAYWIRE. While making that latter film with Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh Tatum brought him an idea he had, loosely based on his own life. Before he became an actor, Tatum was a male exotic dancer in Florida, and that is how MAGIC MIKE was born.

And the result is a very entertaining movie!

MAGIC MIKE stars Channing Tatum as an experienced dancer who teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.

Matthew McConaughey from DAZED AND CONFUSED and A TIME TO KILL is their boss, a man who also spends time on stage, but behind the scenes might not be the trustworthy buddy he seems to be.

Yes, as I said, MAGIC MIKE is a very entertaining movie fun of characters you will have fun hanging out with…and all of them – men and women – are exceptionally beautiful to look at.

Admittedly, it does get a bit predictable in the middle because what goes up in movies like this absolutely has to have a tragic fall, but I still enjoyed it and can easily recommend it.

I can also easily recommend the kids film MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED…and not just to kids, but to everyone.

Gloria the hippo, Melman the giraffe, Marty the zebra and Alex the lion are still trying to get back to the New York Zoo – after ending up in Madagascar – and in this adventure they end up in Europe where they join a traveling circus that just might get them home.

MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED is bright and colourful and fun for the kids, and for us adults are some great characters and the always entertaining penguins.

I really enjoyed this movie, and I’m already looking forward to MADAGASCAR 4!!

Imagine this…a seventy-mile-wide asteroid that can’t be stopped asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. There are three weeks until impact, at which time all of humanity will be wiped out.

What would you do in a situation such as that? Would you party and have fun, in an attempt to spend your final weeks having a good time? Or would you decide to sit around alone and watch television, feeling sorry for yourself because everyone around you is out having fun?

Let me put that to you another way…what is more interesting to you, a movie about those people having fun, or the sad sack who just wants to be left alone.

I want the fun one…that sounds great with endless possibilities!! Unfortunately we have one with the other story. SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD stars Steve Carell as a Sad Sack…snore!!

Keira Knightley from the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films is horribly miscast here as a neighbour who convinces him to leave his house and seek out his high school sweetheart. But guess what, along the way they fall for each other and you won’t care.

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD is a movie with some nice moments but as a whole it just doesn’t work. Along the way they meet people who are enjoying themselves in preparation for the end, and I wanted to stay with them.

Just skip this film…it isn’t worth your time.

There are two releases that centre around historical figures this week. One is a fantastical history thriller, with a few actual facts thrown in for good measure, and the other is an out and out documentary.

I’m starting with the one that is a movie, because it is just so darn entertaining.

This is ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER!!

This action fantasy horror film is based on the 2010 mashup novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith and features the real-life 16th President of the United States as having a secret identity as a hunter of vampires.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER is what it is and if you buy the premise then you will be highly rewarded by a very creative film that weaves history with some really inventive action scenes and it is all done with just the right tone. This is a film that definitely doesn’t take itself too seriously.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER is not an Academy Award winner, but it is very entertaining!!

I really, really enjoyed it!!

The second release this week that centres around a historical figure is the two part documentary APOCALYPSE – HITLER.

Adolf Hitler is infamous for his crimes against humanity and this film examines his rise to power, a rise that was completely unexpected and devastating.

It is important for everyone to know how he was able to get the power he had – because those who don’t know history are condemned to repeat it – and that – combined with some very interesting historical footage – is what makes APOCALYPSE – HITLER something that I recommend everyone see.

This is a very good documentary about an awful human being.

Finally this week is a release that some see as misunderstood, while others revere it as a classic.

Come along for a ride now, won’t you? With THE BEATLES and their MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR is an hour-long film starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr that originally aired on BBC1 on Boxing Day 1967.

The story here is that The Beatles charter a special bus for a mystery tour from the city to the shore.

Along the way the passengers meet some interesting characters…and the band plays songs.

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR wasn’t well received when it first aired, and the recently released blu-ray for the film includes some an all-new Director’s Commentary Track from Paul McCartney, who addresses some of the criticism.

THE BEATLES’ MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR might not be as much a classic as some of the other things the band did, but it remains an important part of the legacy of the band.

It is too quirky and odd for me to recommend it to everyone, but I continue to enjoy it every time I see it – and this blu-ray looks and sounds amazing – and so I do ultimately recommend it. Everyone should see it at least once in their life.

THE BEATLES – MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR, the documentary APOCALYPSE – HITLER, the very entertaining fantastical history thriller ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER, the less than entertaining comedic romance wannabe SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, the very entertaining – for the whole family – MADAGASCAR 3 – EUROPE’S MOST WANTED, the very entertaining – for grown-ups – MAGIC MIKE, and the made-in-British-Columbia only okay horror thriller BARRICADE are all available now, either on disc or on demand.

Coming up inside the next Couch Potato Report

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star in the election year comedy THE CAMPAIGN and we’ll celebrate the 25th anniversary of the modern day classic, THE PRINCESS BRIDE.

I’m Dan Reynish. I’ll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that’s this week’s COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you back here again next time on The Couch!

Categories
Concerts

Get well soon, Billie Joe!!

Green Day Scraps More Shows, Moves Up ‘Tre!’ Release

Green Day has announced the cancellation of seven tour dates and the postponement of 21 more, following last month’s announcement that frontman Billie Joe Armstrong is in treatment for substance abuse.

All of the trio’s remaining 2012 tour dates, which included a West Coast run through late November and early December, have been cancelled. Green Day had announced earlier this month that it would not be performing at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, which took place last Saturday (Oct. 27).

In addition, the North American leg of Green Day’s 21-date 2013 tour, set to kick off in Green Bay on Jan. 7, has been postponed. The dates had been announced in mid-September in support of the group’s new trio of albums, “Uno!,” “Dos!” and “Tre!”

“Obviously the timing for this isn’t ideal, but Billie Joe’s well-being is our main concern,” says bassist Mike Dirnt in a press statement. “We are happy to say that Billie Joe is doing well, and we want to thank you all for the outpouring of support and well wishes that we have received, and we can’t wait to see you all again soon.”

Green Day has also bumped up the release of “Tre!,” from Jan. 15, 2013 to Dec. 11. “Uno!” was released in September, while “Dos!” is coming on Nov. 13.

“We feel bad we have to delay our tour, so to make up for it we want to give our fans the music earlier than we had planned,” says drummer Tré Cool. “If we couldn’t be there to play it for you live, the least we could do was give you the next best thing.”

The band announced that Armstrong would be seeking treatment for substance abuse last month, after the 40-year-old frontman had a profanity-filled onstage meltdown at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. Days later, “Uno!” was released, and sold 139,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, good for a No. 2 debut on the Billboard 200.

Along with “Dos!” and “Tre!,” Green Day has a new song, “The Forgotten,” coming out on the “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” soundtrack, also hitting stores on Nov. 13. “Stray Heart,” the first single from “Dos!,” is out now.

Categories
Food

Five Guys does rock, but In-N-Out is still the best…so amazing!!!

Five Guys voted favorite burger chain, McDonald’s near bottom

Five Guys Burgers and Fries topped a new survey of favorite burger chains, leaving bigger chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King in the dust.

Market Force Information questioned 7,600 consumers, calculated the fan favorite based on total votes and then factored in the number of locations for each chain.

In every region, Five Guys led the list. Overall, In-N-Out was second, followed by Fuddruckers, A&W and Smashburger.

Dairy Queen ranked last in the group of 16 chains considered. Burger King, Hardee’s, McDonald’s and Jack in the Box rounded out the bottom five.

Five Guys ranked best in categories including food quality and taste, service, cleanliness and atmosphere. The only category in which it failed to rank No. 1 was best overall value; In-N-Out won that category.

Smashburger, a newcomer in the so-called better burger industry, ranked second in every category except overall value.

McDonald’s and Hardee’s shared the bottom rankings for overall value. Jack in the Box was last in the food quality and cleanliness categories. Hardee’s was deemed to have the worst service, while Dairy Queen’s atmosphere was voted as the most lacking.

“Five Guys does zero advertising, but by delivering consistently great customer experience, they’re able to build a word-of-mouth buzz that continues to bring new customers through the door,” said Market Force Chief Marketing Officer Janet Eden-Harris in a statement.

In another customer survey this summer, McDonald’s came in last for customer satisfaction. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index found pizza chain Papa John’s the most fulfilling, followed by Subway and Little Caesars.

Burger King and KFC also left patrons wanting more, according to the survey.

Categories
Star Trek

It is a great little town!!

Vulcan, Alberta, looks to attract the next generation

For roughly 25 years, Vulcan has been clinging to its bond with Star Trek as being the home of Spock — relying on it to bring people to the southern Alberta town.

But town Coun. Judy Sanderson says it’s no longer enough.

“It’s stagnant, hate to say that, like every other small Prairie town, not moving ahead,” Sanderson explained. “[The town] needs something to kick forward.”

That kick is a rebranding plan that will build on the Star Trek theme.

The goal is to make Vulcan the most technologically-advanced rural town in Canada.

“Star Trek is what brings the people here — technology will hopefully be what brings people to stay,” explained Leslie Warren, with the Vulcan Business Development Society.

The town plans to make several improvements, including sprucing up its tourist centre, revitalizing downtown and building a state-of-the-art convention centre.

Business owner Sandra Locken says the idea is taking off.

“We are appreciative to Star Trek brand and what it’s done.… Move it forward, create industry and business keep our young people in town engaged,” Locken says.

The town is currently looking for private investors that are interested in taking Vulcan to the next generation.

Categories
Movies

Make ’em good, Tom, and I will go see them!!

Tom Cruise reveals plans for ‘Mission: Impossible 5’

Tom Cruise has spoken out about his plans for Mission: Impossible 5.

The actor first assumed the role of spy Ethan Hunt in 1996 and has since gone on to star in several subsequent films in the franchise, with the fourth and most recent installment, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, being released in December last year.

In an interview with Total Film, Cruise said he still wanted to “make a bunch” of future films in the series and would carry on making the movies for as long as fans wanted to see them.

“I started Mission: Impossible hoping I could make many of them,” he said. “It’s a character that I can grow with. At that time it was the most expensive film in the history of Paramount Pictures, and the first film I was producing.

“It’s been pretty exciting. I’ll make a bunch of those. I’ll make as many as people want to see… because they’re very challenging, and so much fun to make.”

Speaking about his tentative plans for a fifth instalment, meanwhile, he revealed: “We’re already working on different images. Talking conceptually. I love travelling around promoting different movies because I’m always looking at different places, and I always walk around to see the city. I look at architecture, subways… coming up with different sequences.”

Cruise’s next film will be Jack Reacher, in which he will take on the titular role as the antihero from a popular series of novels by British author Lee Child. Reacher is a former military police officer turned vigilante who wanders the US as a drifter. The film finds him on the hunt for a sniper who has just killed five people in a major US city.

The casting has drawn criticism from some fans of the novels, however, who feel that Cruise lacks the stature and tough guy image to play Reacher. The character written by Child is said to stand at 6ft 5in tall and have a 50-inch chest.

Alongside Cruise in the title role, Jack Reacher stars Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo and Werner Herzog. It opens in cinemas on December 21.

Categories
Concerts

I keep asking, “Is that the best they could do?” and – sadly – the answer may be yes.

Grey Cup halftime show to feature Bieber, Jepsen, Lightfoot

The Canadian Football League is offering a diverse mix of performers for the halftime show of the 100th Grey Cup.

Teen heart-throb Justin Bieber, singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, pop-rock group Marianas Trench and pop star Carly Rae Jepsen will perform at halftime of the league’s championship game Nov. 25 at Rogers Centre, the CFL announced Saturday.

Country artist Johnny Reid and rocker Burton Cummings will headline a special kickoff show before the game.

“We are absolutely thrilled to unveil an all-Canadian, all-star lineup that features the biggest pop star in the world, the woman who gave us one of the biggest songs ever, one of the hottest young bands in the country, an iconic balladeer, a rock and roll legend, and one of this country’s leading entertainers,” CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said in a release.

“This array of stars will command a huge and diverse audience, entertaining our most loyal fans and attracting new ones to our game’s greatest showcase. It spans genres and generations. And it’s quintessentially Canadian and undoubtedly world class, at the same time.”

Nickelback played last year’s Grey Cup halftime show in Vancouver.

Categories
Movies

I don’t really want to see CLOUD ATLAS, but I think I will go Monday night anyway.

Box office report: ‘Argo’ claims No. 1 with $12.4 million; ‘Skyfall’ scores $77.7 million overseas

Ben Affleck’s C.I.A. thriller Argo is having quite the box office run.

After debuting at number two with $19.5 million, Warner Bros.’ Oscar contender dropped by just 16 percent last weekend to $16.4 million. This weekend, the film notched yet another impressive achievement: it climbed to number one with an estimated $12.4 million (a 25 percent drop) in its third frame, becoming the first film since True Grit to hop to first place in its third weekend.

Argo, which cost $45 million to make, has now earned $60.8 million total, and thanks to terrific word-of-mouth (the film earned an “A+” CinemaScore grade) and early awards buzz, Argo is eyeing a $100 million finish. Though it is running a tad behind Affleck’s last directorial effort, The Town, which had earned $64.1 million at the same point in its run en route to a $92.2 million finish, Argo is enjoying much better week-to-week holds. (The Town, which opened higher Argo with $23.8 million, fell 38 percent to $9.7 million in its third weekend.)

Sony Pictures Animation’s $85 million Adam Sandler-voiced effort Hotel Transylvania jumped two spots into second place with $9.5 million in its fifth weekend. The film, which has scored slim drops since its robust $42.5 million debut in September, only fell 27 percent this weekend — the final frame before Halloween. It will be interesting to see whether Hotel holds up in the holiday’s wake, but it’s already a monster hit. With $130.4 million total, Hotel is already Sony Pictures Animation’s highest grossing film ever, above Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which grossed $124.9 million in 2009. It’s also given Adam Sandler a much-needed career boost following his back-to-back misfires, Jack and Jill and That’s My Boy.

The pricey novel adaptation Cloud Atlas finished in third place with a weak $9.4 million. Remarkably, that was the best start of any of this weekend’s newcomers, which is a testament to the weakness of the frame. The heady drama, which follows six separate storylines and stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, and Hugh Grant in various roles, genders, and races, proved too difficult for mainstream audiences to latch onto. Audiences, which were 77 percent above the age of 25, issued the film a “C+” CinemaScore.

For Warner Bros., Cloud Atlas‘ failure is not the worst news — the studio acquired domestic distribution rights for a reported $15 million and marketed the film — but the real losers here are the Wachowski siblings and the foreign investors who financed the project. Cloud Atlas cost a whopping $100 million, and it has no chance of making that money back — at least not in the States. Another loser? Tom Hanks, whose box office clout has all but disappeared in recent years. Cloud Atlas arrives on the heels of two other box office underperformers: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ($31.9 million) and Larry Crowne ($35.6 million).

In fourth, Paranormal Activity 4 dropped by a massive 70 percent — a high point for the Paranormal franchise (PA2 dropped by 60 percent in its second weekend. PA3 fell 65 percent) — to $8.7 million. After ten days, Paramount’s $5 million found footage sequel has earned $42.6 million, which is still $10 million less than PA3 grossed in its first weekend.

Taken 2 took fifth place, sliding 40 percent to $8.0 million, which gives Fox’s $45 million action thriller a $117.4 million total. Though the Liam Neeson vehicle is a huge hit, it’s becoming clear that it will not surpass the final $145 million domestic gross of the original Taken. In its fourth weekend, Taken, which opened with half of what Taken 2 made, earned $11.3 million. Taken 2 is falling much faster.

1. Argo – $12.4 million
2. Hotel Transylvania – $9.5 million
3. Cloud Atlas – $9.4 million
4. Paranormal Activity 4 – $8.7 million
5. Taken 2 – $8.0 million

Outside the Top 5, three new wide releases all performed embarrassingly. Open Road’s $20 million videogame adaptation/horror sequel Silent Hill: Revelation 3D started in sixth place with $8.0 million. The original Silent Hill surprised analysts with a strong $20.2 million debut in 2006, but it clearly didn’t leave enough of an impression on audiences for them to show up for a sequel six years later. Crowds gave the film an uninspiring “C” CinemaScore.

Two other films did even worse. Paramount’s surprisingly edgy Victoria Justice vehicle Fun Size grossed $4.1 million from 3,014 theaters. The $14 million film garnered a”B” CinemaScore grade from crowds, which were 67 percent female and 61 percent below the age of 18. Gerard Butler’s new surfing drama Chasing Mavericks , meanwhile, tanked in twelfth place with $2.2 million from 2,006 theaters, giving it a $1,099 per theater average. Audiences issued the film a “B+” CinemaScore.

Internationally, Skyfall, the 23rd picture in the James Bond series, got off to a massive start. The film grossed $77.7 million from 25 territories, including $32.4 million from the U.K. (where the film set a new attendance record on Saturday), $9.1 million from France, and $8.6 million from Russia. According to Sony, Skyfall‘s start was 76 percent bigger than the launch of Casino Royale, and 30 percent bigger than Quantum of Solace‘s debut. The film opens stateside on Nov. 9.