When it was first announced that Pierce Brosnan would be replaced in the part of the charming and suave spy by a newcomer no one knew that much about, a certain Daniel Craig, the fans of the series were more than just disappointed.

Immediately after word got out about Brosnan's axing, the world turned against Craig, citing as reasons for the deep dislike towards him anything from his light colored hair to his crossing the Thames in a boat, wearing a life jacket (oh, such an un-Bond-ly behavior!). If the fans of the series were harsh on Craig, the critics were even harsher. All in all, the next Bond's future looked bleaker than ever.

Well, after the UK release of 'Casino Royale', the latest installment of the long-lived Bond series, all those who had anything bad to say about Daniel Craig and/or his ability to give life to the slickest agent that ever lived on the big screen have been silenced. 'Casino' just set a new record for any spy movie, grossing £1.7 million ($3.2 million) in its first day of running in British cinemas.

Until now, the record was held by the 2002 smashing hit 'Die Another Day' (starring Pierce Brosnan, of course), which took in £1.1 million in its opening weekend. However, 'Casino Royale' still has to face some competition as it opens in US theaters this Friday, going against the computer animated 'Happy Feet'.

Estimates show that 'Casino' stands good chances of winning the box-office competition. One more obstacle to conquer and the movie is set to go (so to speak): 'Die Another Day' opened in the US with ticket sales of $47 million in its first weekend and that's the bar that Craig, Daniel Craig has to rise up to.