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Bond shakes it up in India

24/11/2006

CASINO ROYALE has set new benchmarks for foreign films in India taking in nearly £1.7 million pounds in its first weekend - more than any other western film.

The movie arrived in India to a historic reception, opening across 452 screens on 427 prints, to a huge 14.94 crore rupees (£1.7 m) at the box-office.

Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig (pictured) had the best opening weekend performance surpassing Spider-Man 2, which only raked in 7.8 crore rupees at the box-office.

It has had the highest single day collection ever for a foreign film in India, the biggest ever release for any foreign film and has been the fastest foreign film in India to cross the 10 crore rupee mark - in just three days.

It is also anticipated to be the second largest grosser of all times, for any foreign language film in the country.

Said managing director of Sony Pictures in India, Uday Singh, "Casino Royale has exceeded our expectations at the box-office.

This unprecedented opening is the largest for a foreign film in India. Backed by a 360 degree marketing campaign, synergy partnerships from the Sony Group Companies and our brand alliances, we took this franchise to a wider audience base. Critical acclaim from the media further helped in building the buzz."