The Bond market: 007’s economic impact
What the experts said about the film franchise’s latest blockbuster

Pay attention, 007
The fifth and final 007 film starring Daniel Craig, No Time to Die, “scored an estimated $119.1m” in international sales last weekend, notching up the best ever “opening weekend results for a James Bond flick in 24 countries”, said Sarah Whitten on CNBC.
Welcome news for the movie’s co-distributors, Amazon-owned MGM and Universal, following the film’s repeatedly postponed opening during the pandemic. Ultimately, that has worked in its favour, said Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Pent-up demand built over a six-year wait since Spectre, plus the significance of the end of the Craig era… made this required viewing for even the most casual 007 fan.” Indeed, William Hill has cut the odds from 10-1 to 7-1 that No Time to Die will become the highest grossing UK film of all time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Licence to sell
The franchise’s success and longevity owes much to the right props, said Lex in the FT. “Take away the Aston Martin, the Omega watches and the Dom Pérignon”, and Bond “is little more than a hitman with a penchant for one-liners”. In 2002, Ford, then owner of Aston Martin, reportedly paid $35m to reunite Bond with the marque in Die Another Day after BMW had “usurped” the role. That deal is proving fruitful: No Time to Die features no fewer than four different Aston Martin models. This latest release also saw a Nokia mobile phone replace Bond’s old Sony one. Nokia’s Finnish owner, HMD, is likely to have paid handsomely. But the “return on investment” can be impressive. Soon after Craig sported swimwear maker Orlebar Brown’s trunks in 2012’s Skyfall, the company “was acquired by Chanel”.
A Time to Buy?
Bond memorabilia collectors can also expect a payday, said Rachel Russell on Sky News. At an upcoming Prop Store auction, a suit worn by the late Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice is expected to go for more than £40,000. Great news for a “superfan” like David Zaritsky whose collection, honed over 25 years, ranges from an Armani leather jacket worn in Casino Royale to “beer bottles from Skyfall”, said the Daily Mail. Zaritsky launched a YouTube channel on the back of it – and now, he says, “we’re up to 9.3m viewers”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 shellshocked cartoons about Trump's first 100 days
Cartoons Artists take on a wild ride, F.D.R., and more
-
Kashmir: on the brink of a 'catastrophic' war
Talking Point Relations between India and Pakistan are 'cratering' in the aftermath of a shocking terror attack in the disputed border region
-
A journey into Egypt's western desert
The Week Recommends There is much more to be found in Egypt when straying from the usual tourist destinations
-
A journey into Egypt's western desert
The Week Recommends There is much more to be found in Egypt when straying from the usual tourist destinations
-
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: full of 'revelations and surprises'
The Week Recommends The Design Museum's sweeping collection of all things swimming contains hidden depths
-
The Ugly Stepsister: 'slyly funny' body-horror take on Cinderella
The Week Recommends Emilie Blichfeldt's cutting Norwegian revision of the classic fairy tale leaves no character unscathed
-
John Boyne shares his favourite books
The Week recommends The bestselling novelist picks works by Tobias Wolff, Christos Tsiolkas, and Agatha Christie
-
The Brightening Air: a 'gripping' family drama
The Week Recommends Connor McPherson's Chekhovian drama about a pair of siblings whose lives are upended by the arrival of their relations
-
6 isolated homes for hermits
Feature Featuring a secluded ranch on 560 acres in New Mexico and a home inspired by a 400-year-old Italian farmhouse in Colorado
-
Allies at War: a 'revelatory' account of the Second World War
The Week Recommends Tim Bouverie's 'old-fashioned diplomatic history' explores the often fraught relationship between world powers
-
The Friend: a 'graceful' but flawed dog movie
The Week Recommends Naomi Watts stars in 'intelligent' adaptation of Sigrid Nunez's book about a 'problematic pooch'