For at least 25 years, maybe longer, the makers of James Bond movies and the studios that finance the films, have fretted about demographics.
It’s no secret that 007 skews to an older audience. The first film in the series debuted more than 60 years ago and the second, From Russia With Love, came out 60 years ago next month.
In the 21st century, there was a local radio ad in the Detroit area for a lawn-care service. In the ad, a father is supposedly talking to his daughter. As the ad unfolds, the father says, “That’s just like James Bond.”
“Who’s that?” the daughter responds.
That was a little harsh, but it reflects reality.
With No Time to Die, the most recent Bond film, 007 had soft financial results, at least in the U.S. NTTD’s U.S. box office was just shy of $161 million, putting it at No. 007 among movies in the American market in 2021. That was down from about $200 million for 2015’s SPECTRE and even further down from $304 million from 2012’s Skyfall. All that despite rising theater prices during this era.
Some Bond fans dispute whether this is important. Well, Bond skews older so that’s not a factor, so the argument goes.
Not a factor? The money men of films and TV keep a close eye on demographics.
To be sure, many movies would kill to generate a $160 million box office in the U.S. But No Time to Die had major spending problems. That included the costs of a 350-foot replica rocket and a Russian gulag set in Canada which weren’t even used in the movie.
Also, No Time to Die went to pay-per-view in the U.S. a little more than a month after its U.S. debut. At that time, despite COVID, a monster hit would have an exclusive theater run of at least 45 days.
In addition, some Bond fans say “What about Mission: Impossible 7’s box office?” Well, what about it? The M:I series has never surpassed Bond at the box office. Both are popular with established fan bases. Yet each has encountered excessive spending with recent entries.
Bond, somehow, some way, needs to reach younger audiences. But its demographics aren’t an excuse for No Time to Die’s box office. That’s why studio executives get the big bucks.
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Bond 25, From Russia With Love, Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, No Time to Die, Skyfall, SPECTRE |
The Spy Command 
Like I said…
Despite your words of wisdom, some trolls want to argue the point.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love for Eon to attract that younger audience, but we all know there’s a right way and a wrong way
It grossed so little because it’s a piece of shit. Solve that problem, and you solve the demographics problem.
I saw “Casino Royale” on opening night at the Chinese Theatre in 2006. It was packed with teenagers and college students. They went nuts for it. Four years later, I found myself in a classroom full of undergraduate students. The topic of conversation was favorite Films. “Casino Royale” was mentioned by at least 8 of the 25 students as being a favorite. Why so? Because they liked the “new young James Bond.” Craig aged quickly. Either that or they didn’t make them quick enough. QOS was released at a time when social media opinion was beginning to impact box office. Read into that what you will.
But @Dink, Skyfall came four years later, so what should we read into?
And NTTD still made almost $800 million during the pandemic, and that’s a helluva chunk of change, and I hafta assume it want just the boomers going to see it (and seeing it repeatedly (you don’t make that kind of bank with only one viewing per person)).
Once these strikes are done, let the experts do their job.
You’ll either like it, or you won’t.
The film industry is a finicky mistress.
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