"Royale" Flush

The new James Bond film "Casino Royale" is the top-grossing Bond film worldwide of all time. It hit $448 million worldwide, some $17 million more than the $431 million of Pierce Brosnan's "Die Another Day." Those geeky die-hard fans who yelled and screamed when Daniel Craig was cast must feel particularly silly since this is also the best-reviewed Bond since the Sean Connery days. (Not that those were so beloved at the time, seen more as mere escapism.) Only three other movies grossed more than $300 million at the international box office: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "The Da Vinci Code," and "Ice Age: The Meltdown." "Die Another Day" is still the top-grossing Bond in the US. And of course, $450 million worldwide isn't a patch on the $800+ million typical for the Harry Potter, "Lord of the Rings," "Spider-Man" and last three "Star Wars" movies all released in the last few years. (Let's not get into adjusting for inflation; that gives me a headache and I'm still in holiday mode.) But of course, James Bond is at #21 in the franchise and growing, so that in itself is remarkable.