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After more than 18 months of pandemic delay, “No Time to Die” opened as planned. The latest Daniel Craig-era James Bond film grossed $ 56 million in 4,407 North American theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday, to easily take the top spot.
It hasn’t broken any pandemic or 007 records, but it hasn’t been very short either, and is actually the fourth-best opening in the 25-movie series. James Bond isn’t Marvel when it comes to opening weekends. Bond has always had an older audience who are generally less inclined to rush for the first weekend. In fact, the best bond opening ever did not even reach $ 100 million. It was $ 88.4 million for “Skyfall” which debuted in 2012.
“It took a long time for this movie to hit the big screen,” said Erik Lomis, United Artists Releasing head of distribution. “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%).
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This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Daniel Craig, left, Ana de Armas in a scene from “No Time To Die”. (Nicola Dove / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP)
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 delivered a great movie to us and together we held it in theaters. It was extremely important to us, to them and to the theater owners. And when you see that 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.
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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 Universal dealing with some territories and MGMs others, and worldwide revenue on Sunday was estimated at over $ 313.3 million.
This image released by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures shows Daniel Craig in a scene from “No Time To Die”. (Nicola Dove / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP) (Nicola Dove / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures via AP / AP Newsroom)
“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. “The fact 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. Sony’s sequel, which is also released 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 expects Monday to cross $ 2 billion in global box office revenue in 2021. And the momentum is expected to continue through October, with “Halloween Kills” and “Dune,” which has already made 117 million dollars internationally, on the horizon. .
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“A year ago we were in a difficult situation,” said Dergarabedian. “The year to date is now 32% up from last year. We’re gaining ground here and we have a lot of great movies going on. The industry is moving forward and ‘Halloween Kills’ could be a lot more. important than expected. “
Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales at US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final national figures will be released on Monday.
1. “No Time to Die”, $ 56 million.
2. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, $ 32 million.
3. “The Addams Family 2”, $ 10 million.
4. “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” $ 4.2 million.
5. “The Many Saints of Newark”, $ 1.5 million.
6. “Free Boy”, $ 1.3 million.
7. “Lamb”, $ 1 million.
8. “Dear Evan Hansen”, $ 1 million.
9. “Candy Man”, $ 700,000.
10. “Jungle Cruise” $ 214,000.
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