James Bond and Charlie Brown brought the box office roaring back to life, as Spectre and The Peanuts Movie attracted big crowds over their opening weekends.

The beloved Snoopy received a Hollywood star last week.The beloved Snoopy received a Hollywood star last week.

Spectre, the latest 007 adventure, took first place, debuting to $73 million from 3,929 theatres – a hefty figure and the second highest in series history, but one that nevertheless trails the launch of Skyfall. The previous film in the long-running franchise bowed to $88.4 million, but had better reviews and benefited from being the only new wide-release in its opening weekend. Going into the weekend, tracking suggested that the film would debut to $80 million, but the strength of The Peanuts Movie and some critical grousing may have depressed ticket sales slightly.

Internationally, however, Spectre remains a juggernaut, pulling in $200 million and pushing its worldwide total to more than $300 million after two weeks in release. With a production budget of $250 million and millions more in marketing costs, Spectre has to pull in $650 million globally to break even.

Spectre and The Peanuts Movie attracted big crowds over their opening weekends

It’s a time of transition for Bond. Daniel Craig, who was praised by critics for injecting an emotional depth and danger to the character, has hinted this is his last time playing the role.

While older audiences flocked to see the martini-swilling spy, Fox’s The Peanuts Movie appealed to families.

The adaptation of Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip racked up $45 million across 3,897 screens. It cost $100 million to make and was produced by Blue Sky, the creative force behind the Ice Age series.

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