By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of November 14 – 16, 2008

“Quantum of Solace” crushed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with a whopping $70.4 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Marc Forster’s 22nd official James Bond adventure scored the best opening for a Bond movie ever, beating the opening weekend gross of predecessor “Casino Royale” by $29.6 million. That currently makes “Solace” the worldwide box office leader.

Last week’s winner “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” slipped to No. 2, earning an impressive $36.1 million to reach a domestic total of $118 million after only two weeks in release. The sequel to the 2005 hit features the voices of Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and David Schwimmer.

At No. 3, David Wain’s comedy “Role Models” picked up another $11.7 million, lifting its total haul to $38.1 million after a solid two-week run. Starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd, this R-rated comedy follows two co-workers who join a program that encourages adults to spend some time with lonely kids.

Meanwhile, Walt Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” took home $5.8 million in fourth place, bringing its cumulative gross to $84.3 million after four weeks in release. Worldwide, the third installment in the popular series has collected $194.7 million so far.

Still going strong at No. 5 was Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling,” which reached a total gross of $27.6 million after this weekend’s earnings of $4.2 million. Following in sixth place was Kevin Smith’s comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” which collected $3.2 million for a $26.5 million cumulative gross.

Bernie Mac and Samuel L. Jackson’s comedy “Soul Men” dropped to No. 7 with $2.4 million, lifting its domestic total to only $9.4 million after two weeks in release. Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, the film follows two soul legends who embark on a road trip to perform at the Apollo in Memphis, Tenn.

Three films rounded out the top 10: “The Secret Life of Bees” earned $2.4 million at No. 8, reaching a total of $33.6 million; “Saw V” pulled $1.7 million in ninth place for a cumulative gross of $55.4 million; and “The Haunting of Molly Hartley” reached $12.6 million thanks to a weekend gross of $1.6 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)