'Skyfall' In UK Smashes Opening Records

EXCLUSIVE: There's no doubt that strong film reviews and advance buzz are giving the 23rd James Bond movie a big thumbs-up. But this weekend is the first indication of how well the Sam Mendes-directed pic will do at the box office with the Eon Production Skyfall opening in the UK, France and other Euro territories for Sony Pictures and MGM. Sony won't divulge official international grosses until Sunday morning. But sources tell Deadline now that Skyfall opened as Britain's all-time biggest Friday opening and biggest opening weekend. It smashed previous records set by the two other Daniel Craig as 007 movies. Skyfall's UK total is expected to be £20M weekend ($32.2M) compared with the first installment Casino Royale's opening weekend of £13.37m ($21.53M) and Quantum Of Solace's £15.38m ($24.77M) which broke UK box office records for the biggest opening weekend when it was released in 2008. Skyfall's Friday opening day of £6.2M ($9.99M) also shattered Quantum Of Solace's previous recordholder of £4.9M. Saturday was expected to be higher and Sunday's about the same. (Numbers may be refined on Sunday') Helping total grosses, Skyfall was expected to be shown almost 75 to 100 times in round-the-clock screenings over its opening weekend at some UK cinemas in London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Southhampton. Skyfall doesn't open in the U.S. and Canada until November 9th (a day earlier, November 8th, on IMAX screens). But Hollywood expects it to top both Quantum Of Solace which went on to gross $586M (£367.4M) worldwide and 2006's Casino Royale which grossed $594.2M (£372.5M) making it the highest grossing film in the Bond franchise (not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices).

Related: IMAX Boasts 26% More James Bond 'Skyfall'

That includes the United States where all-in guesstimates top $215M ' much better than

Quantum Of Solace's $168.3M or Casino Royale's $167.4M. Even better for the studios and filmmakers, Skyfall cost much less than both other films. But not to market, which is why the British press is saying that Skyfall 'raises the bar' for onscreen product placement and offscreen brand alliances, from 007's Tom Ford-tailored suits to Q's Sony Vaio hardware, to Coke Zero to perfume retailers. Dutch beermaker Heineken reportedly paid over £28M for Bond to sip from its green bottle in an early scene. Grammy multi-winner Adele sang the Bond theme. Daniel Craig reprises his role as 007, while Javier Bardem playing the villain Raoul Silva, and Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe as Bond girls. Sam Mendes was the first Oscar-winner to direct a Bond pic. Meanwhile, Sony, MGM, and Eon are so pleased with Skyfall that its screenwriter John Logan already is writing the next two installments, Bond 24 and 25.