SUNDAY AM, 7TH UPDATE: I’ve triedto give continuous updates all weekend with domestic box office numbers for MGM/Sony Pictures’ Skyfall and DreamWorks Studios/Fox/Disney’s Lincoln, both of which received great reviews going into Friday and sparked intense interest.

Total moviegoing through Sunday was $160M, more than half of it from James Bond #23, so that’s a very nice +20% more than last year.

Despite a four year hiatus during which some cynics thought 007 had jumped the shark, Skyfall opened in North America much larger than anyone thought. Rival studios thought Sony was low-balling with its $75M pre-release estimate.

And on Saturday morning, the studio begged me to lower my sources’ $88M weekend estimate.

But the magic number is indeed $88M ($30.8M Friday, $33.8M Saturday, and an estimated $20.3M Sunday).

This is absolutely the biggest-grossing 007 flick ever in the string of flicks since 1962 – not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices or IMAX premiums – blowing away Quantum Of Solace‘s $67.5M in 2008. After it received a coveted ‘A’ CinemaScore from audiences, word of mouth expectedly bumped grosses +3% from Friday to Saturday – even though Friday’s gross included $4.6M from Thursday’s IMAX screenings and Friday midnights. Skyfall‘s 3,505-run wide release in U.S. and Canada set a new record for the global franchise. I’m still waiting for a 10-day updated international ...... See Complete Article @ Deadline Hollywood