James Bond Film “No Time to Die” Wins Respectable $ 56 Million Domestic Box Office Prize

“It was a long time before we released this film on the big screen,” said Erik Lomis, head of distribution for United Artists Releasing. “This is exactly where we thought it would be and where the follow-up predicted it.”

Cary Joji Fukunaga directed this episode, which stars Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch and Rami Malek, as the antagonist. Critics and audiences alike responded positively (84% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A-CinemaScore). According to the output data, the audience was predominantly male (64%) and over 35 (57%).

“I’m really, really relieved that it’s in theaters and that people have the chance to see it,” Craig said Sunday from Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I’m incredibly proud of it, as I am of all movies, but I was desperate that people would go see this in a big group, like coming here today. That’s what we do. We are. a social species, we must come together.

Craig was the honorary starter in the NASCAR playoff race where he waved the green flag.

Unlike many movies released during the pandemic, a streaming or hybrid release was never even considered for “No Time to Die”. As well as being the longest Bond film of all time at two hours and 43 minutes, it was also an expensive film with an advertised production budget of around $ 250 million. And that doesn’t include marketing costs, which would have exceeded $ 100 million.

“Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli strongly believe in the theatrical experience,” Lomis said of the film’s producers. “They gave us a great movie and together we held it in theaters. It was extremely important to us, to them and to the theater owners. And when you see this kind of result, it’s very gratifying.

According to North American distributor United Artists Releasing, 25% of moviegoers hit theaters for the first time in 18 months this weekend, suggesting the film will have legs.

“I thought that was a pretty big statistic,” Lomis added.

He said he received calls from movie theater owners across the country saying audiences regularly applauded the end of the film.

But the profitability of Bond films ultimately comes down to the international, which, in Craig’s time, regularly represented more than 70% of the world total. “No Time to Die” launched overseas last weekend, with Comcast’s CMCSA,
-4.70%
Universal manages some territories and MGMs others, and as of Sunday global revenue was estimated at more than $ 313.3 million.

“This film has become larger than life because it was truly the first high profile film to come out of its release date when the pandemic began,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “That Bond is still attractive, viable and relevant some 60 years later is pretty incredible. “

In second place was last week’s No.1 movie “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” which fell 64% from its record-breaking $ 90 million launch, earning $ 32 million when it was released. second weekend. The Sony SONY,
+1.33%
The sequel, which also airs exclusively in theaters, has grossed $ 185.6 million worldwide to date.

Bond aside, it’s been a relatively quiet week at the box office. Other newcomers include A24’s haunting Icelandic film, “Lamb,” which won $ 1 million in just 583 theaters, and Bleecker Street’s “Mass”, which opened on four screens at $ 14,457.

Meanwhile, Disney DIS,
-0.55%
Monday expects to cross $ 2 billion in global box office revenue in 2021. And momentum is expected to continue through October, with “Halloween Kills” and “Dune,” which has already made 117 million dollars. dollars internationally, on the horizon.

“A year ago we were in dire straits,” Dergarabedian said. “The year-to-date is now 32% higher than last year. We’re gaining ground here and we’ve got a lot of big movies on the way. The industry is moving forward and ‘Halloween Kills’ could be a lot bigger than expected.