Even before the film debuted in North America last weekend, people weren’t expecting “No Time to Die” to break records on its way to earning $1 billion at the box office. Since the reopening of cinemas around the world, after the pandemic shut them down last year, no film has come close to the coveted $1 billion box office milestone. But for MGM and the producers behind “No Time to Die,” they were likely hoping for a miracle for the film to turn a profit during its theatrical run.
According to a new box office report from Variety, the latest James Bond film, “No Time to Die,” which serves as the final in the long run of Daniel Craig as 007, the film is likely going to need to earn between $800 million and $900 million to become profitable while in theaters. And considering the only non-Chinese film to earn more than $500 million since theaters reopened is “F9” ($717 million worldwide), that doesn’t seem likely at all, especially when you consider the fairly lackluster opening of “No Time to Die” in North America.
Last weekend, “No Time to Die” earned $55.2 million domestically, which was below the optimistic expectations of the Bond film. With “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” breaking pandemic-era records in the US, folks thought the age of box office blockbusters was going to rebound sooner than anticipated. However, it appears that superhero films seem to be doing okay, but adult-oriented action films, even if they are franchises, aren’t ready to go back to pre-pandemic times.
All that to say, even though “No Time to Die” has already earned more than $321 million worldwide in its short run, most analysts don’t see a way for the film to hit that $800 million mark without some serious help, specifically when the film opens at the end of the month in China. Outside of a miracle there, it would appear the studio behind the latest Bond film will have to wait until after its theatrical run to see that profit, if it reaches that at all.