Big N. America debut for Bond film 'Spectre'
The new James Bond movie "Spectre" overcame lukewarm reviews to triumph at the North American box office, earning a whopping $73 million on its debut weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The star-studded spy thriller -- with Daniel Craig as the dashing secret agent, Italian beauty Monica Bellucci and Oscar-winning Austrian star Christoph Waltz as the villain -- was among the most anticipated films of the year.
Computer-animated 3D cartoon "The Peanuts Movie" -- the first big screen rendering in 35 years for the beloved comic book characters -- sold an estimated $45 million in tickets to debut in second place, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
Third place went to "The Martian," which has generated serious Oscar buzz for lead actor Matt Damon, who plays a NASA scientist accidentally left on the Red Planet.
"The Martian" solidified its blockbuster status with an estimated $9.3 million in weekend ticket sales, for a whopping $197.1 million in the six weeks since its release.
"Goosebumps," the family-friendly action-comedy based on a series of books by R.L. Stine, earned $6.97 million for fourth place.
Steven Spielberg's well-received Cold War drama "Bridge of Spies" starring Tom Hanks was in fifth with $6.1 million.
The rest of the top 10 were:
6. "Hotel Transylvania 2" ($3.55 million)
7. "Burnt" ($3.0 million)
8. "The Last Witch Hunter" ($2.65 million)
9. "Crimson Peak" ($1.82 million)
10. "The Intern" ($1.81 million)
Final figures are released on Monday.