Spectre smashes British box office record taking £40m in first week

It beat previous record holder Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by over £17 million

Cool under pressure: Daniel Craig as James Bond in ‘Spectre’

After receiving dazzling reviews across the board, Daniel Craig’s latest outing as James Bond, Spectre, has managed to topple British box office records by taking £40 million in its first week at cinemas.

Previous record holder, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, had made £23 million in its first seven days, both films having opened on a Monday.

Spectre made more than £52 million globally and has yet to launch in various countries including the US, France, Russia and China.

While it still has a way to go to make up its £200-million budget - £24 million of which is rumoured to have been spent on cars alone - it is expected to gross more than Skyfall which made over £710 million in total.

This projection may be huge but it is still some way off toppling Jurassic World as the highest grossing film of the year, the Chris Pratt starring dino-flick having made over £1 billion at the box office.

Spectre is the 24th Bond instalment and could mark Craig’s last act as 007. The 47-year-old has not confirmed whether he will return to the role but previously said he would rather “slash his wrists” than play the spy again. It was reported that Sony bosses told him to “shut up” by soon after.

In other Bond news, campaigners in Mexico have criticised the Mexican government for offering tax incentives for them to film in their country. One local said: “Bond may be a hero to some but for many here he is now cast as a villain.”

Spectre, starring Craig, Christopher Waltz, Ben Whishaw and Lea Seydoux, is in UK cinemas now.