The delightfully round baby penguin from “Happy Feet” has stomped his way to the top of the North American box office again, with James Bond’s “Casino Royale” chasing behind.

The cartoon flick brought in $17 million US, while Bond fell short at $15.1 million, according to Reuters. It’s the third weekend in a row that the films have held the top spots.

Holding on to third place was Denzel Washington’s “Deja Vu,” which had an $11 million take.

Only one new film placed in the top 5; “The Nativity Story” took fourth spot.

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The penguins of “Happy Feet” had a reason to dance over the weekend as the animated flick barely knocked James Bond and “Casino Royale” out of the top box office spot.

E! Online reports that the family-friend movie from Warner Bros. took in $41.5 million U.S. across North America over the weekend, while Bond slipped in close behind with $40.5 million.

Dropping to third place amid a flurry of lawsuits from angry frat boys and Kazakhs, “Borat” took in a relatively paltry $14.6 million, though it is set to pass the $100 million total mark in the next few days.

Also dropping spots was “The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Clause.” The latest installment of the Tim Allen franchise took in just $8.3 million over its third weekend in theatres, finishing fourth overall.

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We’ll get it out of the way right off the top: Daniel Craig is a very worthy James Bond. All the bemoaners still stuck in the days of Connery (and even Brosnan, for that matter) can just shut up already. Craig is fine.

That being said, the blonde Brit certainly makes the role his own. Say goodbye to the Bond of your parents’ generation, because Craig has just kicked his ass out the window.

In “Casino Royale,” the world’s most famous spy gets a complete character makeover. He’s grittier than ever, with subtle complexities added to the classic Bond portrayal (he’s still suave and deadly, but now carries a big chip on his shoulder).

Keeping with the franchise’s tradition of tenuous links between films, “Casino” tells the story of Bond’s first mission as a double-0. He’s out to bankrupt Le Chiffre (played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen), a terrorist banker with a bit of an eye problem. Along the way, of course, he runs into some rather unsavoury characters, the standard crop of beautiful women (Eva Green of “The Dreamers” makes a fantastic Bond girl), and, in keeping with modern cultural trends, even a high-stakes poker game (though there are no under-table cameras here).

However, some of the classic Bond elements are indeed missing. Most disappointing is the fact that there is little attention paid to gadgets. However, this is also to the filmmakers’ credit; John Cleese did a respectable job as gadget-master Q in 2002′s “Die Another Day,” but no one could match Desmond Llewelyn (who’d been part of the Bond franchise since 1963, but died tragically in a car accident in 1999). With a new Bond, it feels like the right time to move on.

Even without gadgets, “Casino” doesn’t fail to thrill and entertain with incredible action and special effects. The fast-paced post-credits opening sequence features a truly awesome parkour-style chase, while a later scene has a Venitian building imploding into the water. The $150,000,000 budget was, obviously, very well spent.

This is clearly a Bond film for a new generation — one more interested in eye-popping action than martinis and womanizing. Craig has already been confirmed to play Bond in the next installment, and I hope his contract is extended; he was doubted and rejected by many in the beginning, but “Casino” proves that he’s single-handedly reinvigorated the Bond franchise.

Rating: 8

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Ex-Soundgarden front-man and current Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell has been recruited to perform the theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie, “Casino Royale.”

Titled “You Know My Name,” the track was co-written by Cornell and Bond composer David Arnold, according to a press release.

“I’ve always loved Chris’ work, both as a writer and as an artist, and had hoped someday to find the right film to inspire him,” said Lia Vollack, president of Worldwide Music for Columbia Pictures. “His music is both soulful and tough. It was the perfect complement to Daniel Craig and ‘Casino Royale.’”

Previous performers of Bond themes include Tina Turner, Paul McCartney & Wings, Tom Jones and Garbage. The theme song for the most recent Bond installment, 2002′s “Die Another Day,” was performed by Madonna.

Fans will get a chance to hear Cornell’s performance when “Casino Royale” hits theatres on November 17.

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Virgin’s billionaire head Richard Branson and his son, Sam, will make an appearance in the new James Bond film, Casino Royale.

According to the BBC, Branson will play himself in a scene set at Miami Airport (meaning there will likely be a not-too-subtle promotion of his airline, Virgin Atlantic).

“I’m just a little excited to be playing a cameo in the film,” said Branson. “Having met Daniel Craig and the rest of the team on set, I have no doubt that Casino Royale will be one of the most successful James Bond films ever.”

The business mogul has previously appeared on the TV show Friends and in the movies Around the World in 80 Days and Superman Returns.

Casino Royale, the 21st film in the Bond franchise, is due out November 11.

It will be the first time Craig has taken on the lead role. He replaces the last Bond, Pierce Brosnan.

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