"We are absolutely overwhelmed with the reaction to Skyfall this weekend," producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement. "It is particularly thrilling as the UK is home to James Bond and it being the 50th anniversary year."
Still, Bond did not quite match the magic of fellow Brit Harry Potter. The final installment of the boy wizard's saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 charmed audiences to the tune of £23 million ($36.865 million) in its first weekend.
James Bond is the longest-running film franchise ever.
The film was also number one in 24 other overseas markets and is due to open the U.S. November 9th.
Starring Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem, Skyfall marked Sam Mendes' James Bond debut. It is also Craig's third turn as 007, following box office successes for Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace He will do at least two more 007 features.
THR (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hugo-scribe-john-logan-james-bond-383477) reported last week that one of Skyfall's co-writers, John Logan, has begun to tackle the script for a two-part original Bond story, not based on the series' original author, Iam Fleming.
[Sources: Reuters, BBC, The Guardian]