(EW) -- After four years off of the silver screen, James Bond made his triumphant return this weekend in "Skyfall" — and the British spy's appeal was bigger than ever. 

The action thriller grossed a truly massive $87.8 million in its first three days (and an additional $2.2 million during Thursday night previews), making its debut the very best in the Bond series' 23-film history — by a huge margin. 

"Skyfall" shattered the previous opening weekend record for a Bond film, which was set in 2008 when "Quantum of Solace" bowed with $67.5 million. With the lucrative Thanksgiving holiday on the horizon and a straight "A" CinemaScore grade, it's likely that "Skyfall" will also become the first Bond movie to ever pass the $200 million mark at the domestic box office. (Of course, this is not accounting for inflation.) 

EW critics disagree on 'Skyfall' 

"Skyfall's" debut marks the seventh-best November opening weekend of all time — behind two "Twilight" films and four "Harry Potter" titles — and the film, which Sony and MGM spent about $200 million to make, garnered an impressive $25,050 per theater average from 3,505 theaters. "Skyfall's" per-theater average was even more impressive in IMAX locations, where the film found $13.1 million (15 percent of its weekend gross) from 320 screens, good for a $40,938 average. 

Daniel Craig, the sixth man to play Bond, has seen his popularity as the character surge since taking over the iconic role in 2006. His first Bond film, "Casino Royale," debuted with $40.8 million on the way to a $167.4 million finish. Two years later, "Quantum of Solace" opened 65 percent higher with $67.5 million on the way to $168.5 million total. (Reception for the film was tepid, which is why its endurance at the box office was so much weaker than "Casino Royale's.") And now "Skyfall" has improved upon "Quantum's" opening weekend by 30 percent. At this rate, Craig's next turn as Bond (due in 2014) could garner well over $100 million in its debut frame. 
What month did the new one open?
"Skyfall's" debut marks the seventh-best November opening weekend