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 Heading into the weekend, "No
Time to Die was projected to make $60 million to
$70 million in its first three days of release.
Though not a disaster, the film's final weekend
total was expected to be higher because it
received positive reviews and represented Daniel
Craig's final outing as the stylish secret
agent.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, assessing
initial box office results for "No Time to Die"
isn't as clear cut. For some movies, especially
during a public health crisis, an opening
weekend of $56 million would be cause for great
jubilation. But "No Time to Die" is no ordinary
film. It carries a massive $250 million
production budget, to say nothing of the more
than $100 million marketing spend. Add in the
tens of millions it cost to delay "No Time to
Die," which was supposed to premiere in April of
2020 before the pandemic altered those plans,
and box office experts estimate that,
conservatively, "No Time to Die" needs to gross
at least $800 million at the global box office
to make money in its theatrical window. For
Bond, the franchise has numerous marketing
partners and ancillary tie-ins, with Rolex,
Aston Martin and more, that could help cushion
potential losses.
Overseas, audiences have been turning out for
"No Time to Die" at the international box
office, where it has already made an impressive
$145 million. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
("True Detective"), the 007 adventure has opened
in most major markets except for China (set for
Oct. 29), which is a popular territory for all
things Bond. Globally, the film has collected
$313 million.
At the domestic box office, the slightly muted
results for "No Time to Die" are attributable to
several factors, including hesitation among
older audiences to return to the movies and its
lengthy two-hour-and-45-minute runtime, which
limited the number of screenings per day. It's
also the first Hollywood tentpole with real
competition at the box office. Sony's comic book
sequel "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" opened last
weekend and has continued to pull in crowds,
which may have cannibalized ticket sales for
Bond.
With "No Time to Die" claiming the No. 1 spot on
domestic box office charts, the "Venom"
follow-up slid to second place with $32 million,
a figure that's more than many pandemic-era
releases have made in their entire theatrical
run. In total, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has
generated a mighty $141 million in North America
and $185 million worldwide.
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 Since Bond is a property that
tends to skewed toward older audiences, a
demographic that doesn't always make an effort
to watch a film on its opening weekend, box
office analysts have been encouraged by "No Time
to Die." According to United Artists Releasing,
the company distributing the film in the U.S.,
25% of ticket buyers returned to theaters for
the first time in more than 18 months for Bond.
Among opening weekend crowds, 57% were over the
age of 35 and 64% were male. It has an "A-"
CinemaScore, a positive sign for the movie's
long-term prospects. "The
audience is broad, with all age groups and
segments well-represented, including the 35+
crowd, who have been slow to return to the
movies," says David A. Gross, who runs the movie
consulting firm Franchise Entertainment
Research. "If anything kept the film from
over-performing this weekend, it is the younger
groups, who are less committed to the series."
In a distant third place on domestic charts,
"The Addams Family 2" generated $10 million,
bringing its North American total to $31.1
million. The animated family comedy, from MGM
and United Artists Releasing, is being offered
simultaneously on premium video-on-demand
platforms.
Disney's superhero adventure "Shang-Chi and the
Legend of the Ten Rings" landed at No. 4 with
$4.2 million in its sixth weekend in theaters.
Globally, the Marvel comic book adaptation has
surpassed $400 million worldwide, making it the
sixth-highest grossing film of the year. With
$212 million in North America, it remains the
highest earning movie of 2021 at the domestic
box office.
"The Many Saints of Newark," a prequel to "The
Sopranos," rounded out the top five with a
paltry $1.4 million in its sophomore outing.
That puts ticket sales for the Warner Bros.
movie, which premiered day-and-date on HBO Max,
at a dismal $7.4 million. It cost $50 million to
make.
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