James Bond is a valuable film franchise. This is how the 007s stack up

In 1962, when the first James Bond film “Dr. No” hit theaters, a ticket cost only 70 cents.

Almost 60 years later, the average ticket price is around $ 9 and the dashing 007 makes its 25th appearance on the big screen.

Based on the works of Ian Fleming, James Bond has been a movie staple for decades and is one of the most lucrative movie franchises in movie history.

The 25th Bond film “No Time to Die” hit cinemas across the UK on Friday ahead of its national release on October 8th.

The previous 24 films collectively made over $ 6.89 billion worldwide and played seven different actors – Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

“No Time to Die” marks Craig’s fifth and final turn as an iconic British spy. With Craig as the star, the James Bond franchise had its best theatrical release in history, grossing nearly $ 3.2 billion worldwide between 2006’s “Casino Royale” and 2015 “Specter”, according to data from Comscore.

In fact, the 2012 “Skyfall” was the first James Bond film to surpass $ 1 billion worldwide.

Of course, nowadays ticket prices are much higher and consumers have a lot more entertainment options to spend their money on. But box office experts aren’t adjusting for inflation, because there are many

During Connery’s time as Bond, the franchise averaged $ 100 million at the global box office. At that time, movie tickets were less than $ 2, and a James Bond movie was released every year.

After Lazenby’s solo run as 007 and Connery’s retaliation, Roger Moore reprized the role of seven films, averaging $ 120 million at the box office between 1973 and 1985. At that time, tickets were around $ 2.50 each.

Dalton took over for two films, generating similar results at a time when tickets were selling for just under $ 4.

It wasn’t until audiences experienced an eight-year gap between Dalton’s “License to Kill” and Brosnan’s “Goldeneye” debut that the James Bond franchise saw its box office revenue increase dramatically.

1997’s “Goldeneye” became the highest-grossing James Bond film with 356 million tickets sold worldwide. Over the course of four films, Brosnan’s Bond grossed an average of $ 372 million per frame at the box office and helped re-energize the brand.

Then came Craig. “Casino Royale” updated character 007 and was a more fleshed out, grainy incarnation of the iconic hero. The film grossed nearly $ 600 million when it hit theaters in 2006.

It’s unclear how 2021’s “No Time to Die” will ultimately perform at the global box office compared to its predecessors. The film comes out at a tumultuous time in the world of cinema. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down the industry for months, and ticket sales have yet to pick up.

However, advanced international and domestic ticket sales have given box office analysts hope for a solid theatrical tour. Mainly, because “No Time to Die” will have an exclusive theatrical release.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal and CNBC. Universal releases “No Time To Die” internationally while MGM takes care of the national release