The new James Bond film, Die Another Day, opened to the public for the first time on Wednesday.

But Die Another Day faces an uphill struggle to dominate box office takings thanks to another successful franchise, Harry Potter.

The teenage wizard's latest outing, The Chamber of Secrets, took a record �10.3m at cinemas in the UK and Ireland at the weekend, and at previews in the previous week.

Hyped to the hilt, the movie had its worldwide premi�re at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday.

The premi�re, at which the Queen met Bond stars Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry and Madonna, was attended by some 600 fans.

Halle Berry stunned the premi�re crowds in an Oscar de la Renta gown

The venue was transformed into an ice palace for the evening, in homage to the lair of Bond villain Gustav Graves, played by Toby Stephens.

All but one of the Bonds attended the screening.

Former 007s Timothy Dalton, George Lazenby and Roger Moore were there though Sir Sean Connery stayed away "due to filming commitments".

Homage

Pierce Brosnan has already confirmed he wants to complete another Bond movie, his fifth in the role.

"I was asked to come back for a fifth before we started Die Another Day. The answer is yes," he said.

Brosnan and Berry flew to Paris on Tuesday to begin the promotional tour for the 20th official Bond film.

At a conference in the French capital, Berry - who stars as superspy Jinx - said the movie has around 20 moments that pay homage to previous Bond films.

One of the most obvious is her character's introduction, stepping out of the ocean in a bikini in a tribute to the famous Ursula Andress scene from Dr No.

Berry said that, despite the rumours, there were no plans for her to reprise the role of Jinx in a spin-off action film.

Die Another Day - which cost �89m to make - opened to the public in Britain and France on Wednesday, the United States on Friday and the rest of the world over the next four months.