Bond Has Already Earned More Than Any Other U.K. Movie of 2021
“No Time to Die” is already the U.K.’s highest-grossing film this year.
(Bloomberg) --
“No Time to Die” is already the U.K.’s highest-grossing film this year after its opening weekend, in a boost to cinema chains that were pushed to the brink by the pandemic.
Daniel Craig’s fifth and final outing as James Bond earned 25.9 million pounds ($35.2 million) in the U.K. and Ireland, according to Comscore. That compares to “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway,” which has made 20.2 million pounds so far this year after its release in May.
The 25th Bond movie has come to symbolize the chaos wrought by the pandemic after its release was delayed repeatedly. When it finally appeared last week, strong reviews from critics restored some of the momentum that was lost along the way.
Filmgoing has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels and the industry has been hoping Bond can finally entice people away from Netflix and back to their local cinema.
Cinemas almost lost out on the opportunity entirely. Producer Metro Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. talked to Netflix and Apple Inc. at one point about selling the movie to the streaming services, before reverting to its original plan to release the picture exclusively on the big screen.
In the end, cinema chains managed to secure a minimum “theatrical window” of at least 45 days before the film can be seen at home.
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