Box Office - 'Solace' Grabs $27 Million on Friday

Quantum of Solace kicked off its box office run with the biggest one-day total since The Dark Knight's second weekend, collecting $27 million on Friday, according to Box Office Mojo. That sets up a record-breaking weekend for Bond films, as the projected three-day total for Solace now balloons to over $70 million. It seems certain, at the very least, that $60 million will be easy to achieve, a total some $13 million more than the previous best Bond debut (Die Another Day). As always, you can't tell what Friday numbers mean in every case. Sometimes they're the beginning of a trend and other times, they reflect a huge opening night spike that goes away pretty quickly. But because Casino Royale did so well two years ago and audiences seem invested again in the series because of the new grittier approach and new Bond Daniel Craig, it looks as though Quantum of Solace will be the first Bond picture to at least flirt with $200 million in the U.S. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa will cross $100 million this weekend, and will coast into second place with maybe $25 - $30 million. Role Models, High School Musical, and Changeling rounded out the top five on Friday.We'll have the complete box office recap tomorrow, plus a little more analysis on what this weekend could mean for Bond in the long haul.