Penguins vs Bond

'Happy Feet' is victorious at the American box office, while 'Casino Royale' is number one everywhere else.

Nov 20 2006

It was a mixed bag for Bond at the box office over the weekend, with 007 victorious in every territory apart from America, where the super spy was defeated by a bunch of dancing penguins.

'Happy Feet', an animated tale that features the vocal talents of Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Elijah Wood, took a whopping $42.3 million to open at number one, banishing Bond to two with a $40.6 million gross.

It was a different story elsewhere however, with Daniel Craig's debut in the role breaking bizarre records all over the place. It had the biggest ever opening weekend for a foreign language film in both Russia and India, while internationally, 'Casino Royale' took 70% more than any previous Bond film.

In the UK, the film grossed $25.6 million, giving it the second biggest opening weekend in history (trailing 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire').

And with the film yet to open in the likes of France, Germany, Spain, Holland and Sweden, early forecasts suggest that 'Casino Royale' could be the most successful Bond film yet. Unless, that is, those pesky penguins fight back.

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