Bond soars with record $87.8M 'Skyfall' debut

(AP) The sky's the limit for James Bond's Skyfall.

The 23rd Bond film hauled in a franchise-record $87.8 million in its first weekend at U.S. theaters.

According to distributor Sony, adding $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at large-format theaters, Skyfall has taken in $90 million domestically.

That lifts the worldwide total for Skyfall to around half a billion dollars once its weekend haul is counted overseas, where the film began rolling out in late October. As of last Thursday, Skyfall had rung up nearly $350 million internationally.

The third installment starring Daniel Craig as British super-spy Bond, Skyfall outdid the $67.5 million U.S. debut of 2008's Quantum of Solace, the franchise's previous best opening.

Skyfall more than doubled the $40.8 million debut of Craig's first Bond film, 2006's Casino Royale.