'Spectre' takes lethal $73M at box office; 'Peanuts' is No. 2 with $45M

Bryan Alexander | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trailer: 'Spectre' Christoph Waltz may be sitting in the shadows of this 'Spectre' trailer, but as the newest James Bond villain, he's sure to be a highlight of the upcoming film.

James Bond had a license to kill at the box office and executed with a $73 million tally, according to studio estimates.

Daniel Craig's fourth turn as James Bond easily outpaced a strong showing for The Peanuts Movie, which still thrived at $45 million in its debut.

Both movies provided a needed spark to a box office that has been slumping — down dramatically last weekend vs. the year before in what was an overall tough October for new releases.

"It's a great story, James Bond and Charlie Brown, two iconic characters over 50 years old," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior box office analyst for Rentrak. "It took Bond and Brown to get the box office back on track."

Spectre is the second-biggest Bond opening behind 2012's Skyfall, which took $88.4 million. The U.S. tally fell short of analysts' initial expectations for the weekend, following Spectre's record opening in the United Kingdom.

"Unquestionably, this is a big, big success in America, the second-biggest Bond movie debut ever here. And this is already a smash global success," Dergarabedian says.

Spectre, which scored $9.1 million on 374 IMAX screens, received a mixed reception from critics, with a 62% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences gave it an A- grade on CinemaScore.

The 3-D computer animated Peanuts marked a strong return for the beloved comic strip characters, who hadn't appeared on the big screen since Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown underperformed in 1980. Director Steve Martino and screenwriter/producer Craig Schulz, son of Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, carefully developed a film that honored fans.

"They obviously took their time with this project and did it right," says Jeff Bock, box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations. "And Peanuts will have legs through the holiday season. All signs point for this to be the beginning of a new Peanuts franchise. This opening is exactly what the filmmakers needed for that."

Peanuts was a hit with critics, receiving an 86% positive rating on RottenTomatoes.com. Audiences gave it an A on CinemaScore.

Matt Damon and The Martian continued to excel with $9.3 million and third place in the movie's sixth weekend. The Ridley Scott-directed film has $197.1 million total at the box office as it chugs into awards season.

Jack Black's role as children's horror author R.L. Stine in Goosebumps continued to pull in young audiences for post-Halloween thrills, taking fourth place with $7 million in its fourth weekend ($66.5 million total).

Tom Hanks' and director Steven Spielberg's Cold War collaboration Bridge of Spies rounded out the top five with $6.1 million in its fourth weekend of release for a total of nearly $55 million.

Final numbers are expected Monday.

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