With a substantial budget, the production featured elaborate set pieces and diverse locations, from the Bahamas to Montenegro. Other reviewers responded negatively, including Tim Adams of The Observer, who felt the film came off uncomfortably in an attempt to make the series grittier. Raymond Benson, the author of nine Bond novels, called Casino Royale "a perfect Bond film." On its US opening day, Casino Royale was on top with $14,741,135, and throughout the weekend grossed a total of $40,833,156, placing it second in the ranking behind Happy Feet ($41.5 million). However, Casino Royale was playing in 370 fewer cinemas and had a better average ($11,890 per cinema, against $10,918 for Happy Feet). It earned $167,445,960 by the end of its run in North America, marking what was at the time the highest-grossing film of the series, before being surpassed by Quantum of Solace's $168.4 million.