JAMES BOND - CASINO ROYALE BECOMES TOP BOND

CASINO ROYALE BECOMES TOP BOND

Casino Royale has become the highest-grossing James Bond film ever, according to film monitors ScreenDaily.

The Daniel Craig flick has impressed both audiences and critics despite initial concern over the choice of lead character.

And it now appears that the film-makers got it spot on, as the film has now taken $454 million (£232 million) across cinemas worldwide.

According to ScreenDaily, the film is now being shown on 6,330 screens in 64 countries and has added $19.4 million (£9.9 million) during the four days over Christmas.

It means that the previous top Bond film, Die Another Day, has dropped to second place in the franchise's all-time list after taking $431 million (£220 million) worldwide.

Meanwhile, in the UK, animated festive flick Happy Feet continues to ride high at the box office, staying on top of the pile for the third successive week.

The film, which features the voice of Elijah Wood as the star penguin, took $4 million (£2 million) last weekend to bring its total takings to $20.7 million (£10.5 million) since its release.

New releases Eragon and Déjà vu came in at fourth and fifth respectively, below second-placed The Holiday, starring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz and Casino Royale itself.