Last week, there was a genuine sense of hopeful optimism that No Time to Die could become the first pandemic-era release to score at least $100 million its first weekend, with screenings sold out all across the country and more showtimes being added to meet the unprecedented demand.
Even as recently as a few days ago there was widespread belief the $90 million record set by Venom: Let There Be Carnage was in real danger, with Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 set to match its impressive overseas performance on home soil. While No Time to Die is on course for a solid haul, the numbers are still coming in below early projections.
As per Deadline, the 25th installment in the iconic franchise is on track for a $60 million first frame, bang in the middle of MGM’s modest $55-65 million prediction, but much lower than many analysts were expecting. Of course, the 163-minute length means it won’t be getting screened anywhere near as often as the 97-minute Let There Be Carnage, so it’s hardly a shock either.
That’s still good enough to rank as one of the highest-grossing debuts since the beginning of 2020, behind only the Venom sequel, Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Fast & Furious 9 and Bad Boys for Life, so No Time to Die is a hit whichever way you want to look at it, even if the numbers are coming up on the low end of the scale.
