How James Bond Movies Became More Popular By Refusing To Evolve

_{Hollywood became so focused on kid-friendly nostalgia-driven action fantasies that the 007 series is now considered prestigious, grown-up cinema.}

With $103.8 million domestic and $474 million worldwide, Cary Fukunaga and Daniel Craig’s No Time to Die (review) has passed the $468 million cume of Godzilla Vs. Kong. It’s the second-biggest Hollywood flick in terms of raw global grosses for 2020 and 2021. Whether it stays strong (especially overseas) and passes the $716 million cume of F9 is an open question. Considering that both films are being distributed overseas by Universal (with M.G.M. handling domestic for James Bond 25), Comcast views this as a “heads I win, tails you lose” situation. It is already playing globally, with Australia (where Skyfall earned $50 million and Spectre earned $25 million) set for November 11 and China (where Skyfall earned $59 million and Spectre earned $83 million) set for October 29. Whether it nears $800 million or even makes money before post-theatrical, its pandemic-era earnings proves the 007 franchise is as relevant as ever.

First, the circumstances by which No Time to Die could end up with around $750 million in worldwide box office grosses and still barely break even in global theatrical revenue is a matter of unlikely-to-be-replicated circumstance. Had Danny Boyle not been swapped for Cary Fukunaga, No Time to Die would have flourished in November 2019. Whatever cost overruns created by 18 months of Covid-specific delays will not reoccur, assuming James Bond 26 doesn’t open amid a surprise global pandemic. Second, many of the ideas being tossed around regarding how to rejuvenate the franchise (a soft reboot with a younger actor on a smaller budget) are what will inevitably happen by default next time. Third, no matter what M.G.M. and friends decide to do going forward, they must not mess with the formula too much. The industry around it has changed to the point where James Bond is unique unto itself in the blockbuster landscape.

The Sean Connery films (1962-1971) flourished as “You can’t get this anywhere else” action/travelogue spectacle. However, the Roger Moore films (1973-1985) eventually struggled against the post-Jaws/Star Wars wave of big-budget Hollywood blockbusters like Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters and Beverly Hills Cop. Timothy Dalton’s The Living Daylights in 1987 and License to Kill in 1989 were outmatched by new-wave actioners like Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and Rambo: First Blood part II. The Pierce Brosnan films (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day) impressively held their own (between $333 million and $437 million from 1995 to 2002) against action competition (The Rock, Speed, Face/Off, Air Force One, The Fugitive, etc.), spoofs (the Austin Powers trilogy), fantasy franchises (The Matrix, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings), and espionage-action contenders (xXx, the Bourne films and the Mission: Impossible series). The 007 series was an early lesson in the value of marquee characters (and not outsmarting yourself).

Audiences may have begun flocking to movies about pirates, superheroes and (eventually) robots, but they still showed up for James Bond because they liked the character and the tropes. This continued into Daniel Craig’s post-9/11 run. Casino Royale ($600 million in 2006), Quantum of Solace ($585 million), Skyfall ($1.1 billion) and Spectre ($881 million) sent the 007 franchise to new global box office heights. Daniel Craig’s James Bond fended off challenges from the resurgent (and 007-inspired) Fast & Furious installments ($788 million in 2013, $1.5 billion in 2015 and $1.2 billion in 2017) and Tom Cruise’s later and more stunt-driven Mission: Impossible sequels ($694 million in 2011, $585 million in 2015 and $792 million in 2018). Bond stood tallest even among attempts to revive the Bourne series and the xXx series and “new” contenders like Kingsman and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Save for The Fast Saga, James Bond still reigned supreme among real-world action franchises.

Moreover, during the six-year gap between Spectre and No Time to Die, Hollywood became more focused on four-quadrant, youth-skewing, superhero and/or high-fantasy franchises. Now more than ever, the James Bond films stand out by offering not just action but, well, everything else associated with the 59-year-old franchise. Where once audiences flocked to the James Bond series because you couldn’t get the action and spectacle anywhere else, now the series’ other trappings (the sex-positive girls, the easy-to-seduce boys, the glitz, the gadgets, the locales, the cars, etc.) are in comparatively short supply outside of the 007 movies. In a youth-skewing superhero world, James Bond films are the closest to a now-powered, aspirational action hero for adults. Yes, Hollywood has evolved (devolved?) to the extent that the series now qualifies as one-of-a-kind, prestige, adult-skewing filmmaking. The James Bond series became even more unique unto itself and truly aspirational in the broader blockbuster marketplace.

At least since GoldenEye 26 years ago, the James Bond series has been asking whether the franchise is still culturally relevant and commercially viable. The answer, nine times in a row, has been “Yes,” so maybe the films can stop apologizing for their existence. While 007 has appropriated cinematic trends and adapted to the outside world since 1962, the core franchise has remained primarily unchanged. Conversely, the theatrical industry has become defined less by star-driven studio programmers and more by marquee characters (be it Thor or Freddy Mercury) and fantastical superheroes. Rumors of Bond’s cultural irrelevance have been greatly exaggerated. The series has gotten away with merely pretending that each new installment was more progressive than its predecessors. Most importantly, audiences like the James Bond series for the “only-available-here” elements. With Hollywood dominated by Marvel/D.C. movies, Disney nostalgia and horror flicks, James Bond has gone from “Nobody does it better!” to “Nobody else does it at all.”