'No Time to Die' — But Plenty of Time to Buy 007 Tickets and Merch
It’s been almost 60 years since moviegoers first saw fictitious MI6 agent James Bond drop a bunch of bad guys with his signature Walther PPK pistol, then run off to an island paradise with a stunning (and often just as lethal) paramour. Given how many times he’s been beaten, shot, blown up, irradiated, dropped from a plane and generally thumped, he looks fantastic.
We speak, of course, of the latest Bond film, “No Time To Die,” which opened in theaters on Friday (Oct. 8). The drama involved in even getting this new Bond film made is a gripping plot unto itself, but there’s no time for that. Evidently, there’s not even time to die. We’d better hurry it up.
This being PYMNTS, we’re following the money and looking at the astounding number of ways that Ian Fleming’s unstoppable secret agent character gets fouled up in matters of finance.
And we don’t mean his expense account, notoriously splurged on private jets and tuxedos. Reconciling that mess is the domain of Bond’s level-headed counterpart, Miss Moneypenny. We can almost hear the applause of CFOs and treasurers at the very mention of her name.
On the topic of money, Deadline.com reports that “No Time to Die” has beaten the take of all previous films, netting $6.3 million from box office previews that began Thursday (Oct. 7) at 4 p.m.
Where it goes from there is to be determined. If you like going to movie theaters — an iffy proposition at best, since 2020 — be glad that Amazon decided to go that route after buying producer MGM earlier this year. Otherwise, this might all be happening on Amazon Prime.
There are so many layers here, we sure could use “Q” or “M” or another high-level functionary from the Bond alphabet to help sort it out. But like 007, we’ll just have to improvise.
See also: Amazon Confirms $8.5B MGM Acquisition That Will Roil Streaming Video Space
007 Is Not a Percentage
As one considers the entire 25-film franchise, it’s striking how many Bond villains were bent on manipulating — or just laying waste to — the world of finance as we know it.
Financial institutions find their way into several Bond film plots for good reason. As legendary bank robber Willie Sutton either did or did not say, "because that's where the money is."
Lifestyle and celebrity news site Vulture did a wonderful job analyzing this a while back, cataloging the imaginary crimes conceived against everything from the international banking system to the U.S. gold reserves once stored at Kentucky’s Ft. Knox. Our favorite is “Goldeneye,” where another double-oh goes rogue for mayhem and profit, targeting international banking.
Fortunately for the 007 fan (and for the free world), one needn’t employ the ruthlessness of Ernst Stavro Blofeld to get what 007 has. It’s yours for the taking, on the official web store.
In the perfectly legit world of 007 merchandise, you can have his dashing Navy Army Sweater by N. Peal for the ransom of just $480. If that’s too steep, there’s the SPECTRE Symbol notecard set at a reasonable $35, perfect to rattle family members for the holidays. And no collection is complete without Bond’s Aston Martin, a miniature model replica of which will set you back a mere $28.
Read next: James Bond’s License to Close Movie Theater Chains
Banking on Bond
What’s weird about the rave reviews the latest film is getting is the part it played in another nefarious incident — the closing of movie theaters under pandemic duress one year ago.
In October 2020, PYMNTS reported on the plight of movie theater chains during the pandemic — notably Cineworld, the largest U.K. theater chain and owner of U.S. theater chain Regal Cinemas — saying that “the straw that reportedly broke the theater operator’s back was a push-back until 2021 of the release of ‘No Time to Die,’ the 25th James Bond film. This is the film’s second delay from an original April release date.”
Which brings us to the present. AS CNBC reported last week, “The previous 24 films have collectively generated more than $6.89 billion, with 2012's “Skyfall” the first 007 film to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.
In fact, CNBC calculated that since hunky Daniel Craig assumed 007 status from his predecessor, actor Pierce Brosnan, “the James Bond franchise has seen its best theatrical run in history, garnering nearly $3.2 billion globally between 2006's ‘Casino Royale’ and 2015's ‘Spectre.’”
All the more reason to purchase the “No Time to Die” numbered edition commemorative coin — which, we’re told, was “struck by The Perth Mint from 1oz of 99.99% pure silver [and] is issued as legal tender under the authority of the government of Tuvalu and is part of a numbered series of 3,000 pieces.”
And the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu seems like exactly the place where one would find Mr. Bond — who, as we recall, is also quite fond of casino gaming. Better order a lot of those coins.