The ‘Downton Abbey’ Movie Exceeds Box Office Expectations

Many Downton Abbey fans have been eagerly awaiting the film adaptation of the popular TV series. It finally arrived this past weekend and debuted with much higher numbers than expected and even set a new record!

Downton Abbey earned a total of $61.8 million at the worldwide box office so far. The $31 million domestic debut also set a new record for a release by a specialty studio.

Most of the original cast members from the TV series returned for the film. Show creator Julian Fellowes wrote it and Michael Engler directed.

"Audiences were clearly ready to come back to Downton and visit the Crawleys and all the familiar faces upstairs and downstairs," said Lisa Bunnell, president of distribution at Focus Features.

Rounding up the top three this weekend was Ad Astra with $19.2 million and Rambo: Last Blood with $19 million in its debut.