Lindsay Bacher | Associated Press
After more than 18 months of delays with the pandemic, “No Time to Die” has opened for sure. The latest James Bond film from Daniel Craig’s era grossed $ 56 million in 4,407 North American theaters, the studio estimated on Sunday, and easily took first place.
It has not broken any pandemic or 007 records, but it hasn’t fallen behind significantly and is actually the fourth best debut in a 25-film series. James Bond is not Marvel when it comes to the first weekend. Bond has always had an older audience that tends to be less likely to run out of the house on the first weekend. In fact, the best bond opener didn’t even bring in $ 100 million. Skyfall, which debuted in 2012, cost $ 88.4 million.
“It took a long time to bring this film to the big screen,” said Eric Lomis, head of distribution at United Artists Releasing. “This is exactly where we thought it was, and exactly where the tracking predicted it.”
Carey Joji Fukunaga directed this part, which stars Leah Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomi Harris, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch and Rami Malek as the antagonist. Critics and viewers alike responded positively (84% on Rotten Tomatoes and A-CinemaScore). According to the data released, the audience was predominantly male (64%) and over 35 (57%).
“I’m really excited to have it in theaters and people get the chance to see it,” Craig said Sunday from Charlotte Motor Speedway. “I’m incredibly proud of this, like all films, but I just desperately wanted people to go and see it in a big group like they’ve come here today. This is what we do. We are a social species, we need to come together. “
Craig was an honorary starter in the NASCAR Playoffs, where he waved the green flag.
Unlike many films released during the pandemic, streaming or hybrid release was never even considered for No Time to Die. In addition to being the longest Bond film (2 hours 43 minutes), it was also an expensive film with a production budget of around $ 250 million. And that doesn’t include marketing spending, which reportedly exceeded $ 100 million.
“Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli truly believe in theatrical experience,” Lomis said of the film’s producers. “They put us on a great film and together we made it for a theatrical performance. It was very important for us, for them and for the owners of the theater. And when you see such a result, it is very pleasant. “
According to North American distributor United Artists Releasing, 25% of moviegoers returned to theaters for the first time in 18 months this weekend, suggesting the movie will have legs.
“I thought it was a pretty significant statistic,” added Lomis.
He said that he received calls from cinema owners from all over the country saying that the audience regularly applauds at the end of the film.
But the profitability of Bond films ultimately comes down to the international, which regularly accounted for over 70% of the global total during the Craig era. “No Time to Die” was launched overseas over the weekend with Universal managing some territories and MGM over others, and as of Sunday, global grosses were estimated at more than $ 313.3 million.
“This film was bigger than life because it really was the first high-profile film not released when the pandemic began,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “That Bond is still attractive, viable and relevant 60 years later is amazing.”
In second place was last week’s # 1 film Venom: Let There Be Carnage, down 64% from its record-breaking $ 90 million launch, earning $ 32 million in its second weekend. Sony’s sequel, which also aired exclusively in theaters, has grossed $ 185.6 million worldwide to date.
Aside from Bond, it was a relatively quiet week at the box office. Other new releases include the A24’s haunted Icelandic Lamb, which made $ 1 million in 583 theaters alone, and Bleecker Street’s Mass, which aired on four screens for up to $ 14,457.
Meanwhile, Disney expects global box office receipts to surpass $ 2 billion in 2021 on Monday. And the momentum will continue until October, when The Halloween Murders and Dune are on the horizon, which have already raised $ 117 million internationally. …
“A year ago we were in a terrible situation,” Dergarabedyan said. “Since the beginning of the year, it is 32% more than last year. We’re picking up steam here and we have a lot of big films on the way. The industry is picking up steam and the Halloween Kills could be much more than anyone expected. “
Estimated Friday-Sunday ticket sales in US and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final internal data will be released on Monday.
- No Time to Die, $ 56 million.
- Venom: Let There Be Massacre, $ 32 million.
- The Addams Family 2, $ 10 million.
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, $ 4.2 million.
- Many Saints of Newark, $ 1.5 million.
- Free Guy – $ 1.3 million.
- “Lamb” – $ 1 million.
- Dear Evan Hansen, $ 1 million.
- Candyman – $ 700,000
- Jungle Cruise $ 214,000.
AP reporter Jenna Fryer contributed from Concord, North Carolina
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