James Bond's 24th trip to theaters kicked off at 7 p.m. Thursday night as "Spectre" earned $5.25 million from 3,221 locations in previews.
Daniel Craig's reprises his role as 007 in the latest installment, which also sees Sam Mendes returning to the helm. The action film follows Bond as he travels the globe attempting to uncover a sinister organization.
The Sony and MGM film, which also stars Christoph Waltz as the villain and new Bond girls Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci, is tracking to gross $70 million to $75 million domestically (although some insiders think it could come in at $80 million).
"Spectre"'s Thursday night take is ahead of previous Bond film "Skyfall," which earned $4.6 million during Thursday night previews in 2012. It went on to earn $88.4 million in its debut, a series best.
"The Peanuts Movie," based on Charles M. Schulz's famous comic strip, didn't have any Thursday night previews, but will open wide Friday. The Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios project, directed by Steve Martino, is tracking to open in the $40 million to $44 million range.
SEE ALSO: Why the new James Bond may have a tough time hitting box-office goals
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