LONDON:— James Bond rules the box office — though he has failed to dethrone Harry Potter.

Producers say the new Bond adventure, "Skyfall," has had the second-biggest opening weekend in British movie history, taking 20.1 million pounds ($32 million) at the U.K. box office.

That is the biggest opening weekend for any of the 23 Bond films, and ranks just behind last year's final Potter movie, "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows — Part 2," which took 23 million pounds in its first weekend in Britain.

"Skyfall" opened this weekend in 25 global markets, taking in a total of $77.7 million between Friday and Sunday.

"We are absolutely overwhelmed with the reaction to Skyfall this weekend. It is particularly thrilling as the UK is home to James Bond and it being the 50th anniversary year," producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, said.

The film, which stars Daniel Craig as agent 007 and Javier Bardem as a villain bent on revenge, opens in the United States on Nov. 9.

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