‘No Time to Die’ pockets $ 56 million for national box office debut

“No Time to Die” grossed an estimated $ 56 million in its nationwide opening weekend, the fourth best first James Bond film in the franchise’s nearly 60-year history.

The film grossed $ 23.3 million on Friday, $ 18.1 million on Saturday and is expected to generate around $ 14.5 million in ticket sales on Sunday. Globally, the film has grossed $ 313.3 million since its international release two weeks ago.

While some box office analysts predicted the film could reach $ 80 million, or even $ 100 million, when it debuts in the United States and Canada, the opening numbers for the latest James Bond film are still a strong demonstration for the era of the pandemic.

“This is not a weekend movie and I think the passion for Bond played out in the high expectations,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “The high expectations were a reflection of the enthusiasm everyone had for this film and the pent-up need to finally see the film after another 18 months of waiting.”

As it approached its opening weekend, “No Time to Die” exceeded advanced ticket sales expectations. Fandango reported last week that the film exceeded pre-sales for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”. The sequel to “Venom” currently holds the pandemic record for most opening weekend races.

The performance of “No Time to Die” highlights the ongoing challenges facing the domestic box office. Namely, attracting consumers to theaters.

While long-running may have played a part, the opening weekend performance of ‘No Time to Die’ is perhaps more a reflection of the fact that mature moviegoers tend not to rush the opening weekend to see a movie, ”Dergarabedian mentioned.

The James Bond franchise is almost six decades old, and the audiences that come out for these films tend to be older. Almost 60% of moviegoers who came to see the film this weekend were over 35 and 36% of ticket buyers were over 45.

Older audiences have been slower to return to theaters in the wake of the pandemic, leading to reduced box office runs for films that cater to older generations. About 25% of ticket buyers who went to see “No Time to Die” this weekend noted that it was the first time they had returned to the cinema in more than 18 months, MGM reported.

“Bond’s debut is still a testament to the franchise’s enduring appeal and keen interest in Daniel Craig’s swan song … chief analyst at Boxoffice.com.

Disclosure: Comcast owns NBCUniversal and CNBC. Universal is releasing “No Time To Die” internationally while MGM is handling the national release. Amazon announced plans to buy MGM earlier this year. NBCUniversal owns Fandango.