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No Time to Die, the latest installment in the James Bond series has been recognized as the highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2021, as well as during the pandemic era.
Fans have come out in droves to view Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond 007 in the iconic spy series. This weekend, the film No Time to Die will cross $733 million worldwide which makes it not only the highest-grossing Hollywood film of 2021 – but also of the pandemic era, Deadline reports.
The success of MGM/Eon/Universal’s No Time To Die pushes the movie ahead of the previous global leader, Universal’s own F9 (a.k.a. F9: The Fast Saga, part of The Fast and Furious franchise) which has brought in $725 million. Both films are the only two studio movies to earn over $700 million this year.
The total haul for No Time to Die thus far is estimated at $145 million in domestic box office earnings and $579 million in international box office earnings.
The film had the biggest pandemic opening and 36 markets.
No Time to Die thus is the 25th James Bond film and is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
Daniel Craig has played James Bond 5 times, coming in below Roger Moore, who appeared in 7 films, and Sean Connery, who appeared in 6.
Craig’s first appearance was in Casino Royale in 2006, followed by Quantum of Solace in 2008, Skyfall in 2012, Spectre in 2015, and No Time to Die in 2021.
Many felt Daniel Craig in Casino Royale brought a return to the James Bond of the Ian Fleming novels, and a fresh restart away from the tongue-in-cheek Roger Moore-era 007. The debut with Craig is sexy, romantic, and gritty. Casino Royale is loaded with action and memorable scenes, and many see it as his best Bond performance. However, with the success of No Time to Die, this could be the film people will be talking about in Craig’s 007 legacy.
Casino Royale was the first novel by Ian Fleming to feature James Bond, published in 1953. Fleming, a former British naval intelligence officer himself before becoming a spy novelist, published 14 James Bond novels between 1953 and 1966. He died in 1964, with two of his novels published posthumously.
