JAMES BOND and Charlie Brown brought the box office roaring back to life, as “Spectre” and “The Peanuts Movie” attracted big crowds over their shared opening weekend.

    “Spectre,” the latest 007 adventure, took first place, debuting with US$73 million from 3,929 theaters — a hefty figure and the second highest in series history, but one that nevertheless trailed the launch of “Skyfall.”

    The previous film in the long-running franchise bowed to US$88.4 million, but had better reviews and benefited from being the only new wide-release in its opening weekend.

    Going into the weekend, tracking suggested that the film would debut to US$80 million, but the strength of “The Peanuts Movie” and some critical grousing may have depressed ticket sales slightly.

    Internationally, however, “Spectre” remains a juggernaut, pulling in US$200 million and pushing its worldwide total to more than US$300 million after two weeks in release. With a production budget of US$250 million and millions more in marketing costs, “Spectre” has to pull in US$650 million globally to break even.

    It’s a time of transition for Bond. Daniel Craig, who was praised by critics for injecting an emotional depth and danger to the character, has hinted that this is his last time playing the role. The search for a replacement has already triggered frenzied speculation about who can take over the series.

    While older audiences flocked to see the martini-swilling spy, Fox’s “The Peanuts Movie” appealed to families. The adaptation of Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip racked up US$45 million across 3,897 screens. It cost US$100 million to make and was produced by Blue Sky, the creative force behind the “Ice Age” series.(SD-Agencies)