At long last, the domestic box office has finally started to return to something resembling former glories, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings recently becoming the first movie since Bad Boys for Life to pass $200 million, shortly before Venom: Let There Be Carnage set a pandemic-era opening weekend record by hauling in $90 million.
This Friday brings another major blockbuster to theaters, with No Time to Die already having debuted to $119 million internationally, another benchmark for a Hollywood title that didn’t get an assist from China. Things are looking up at long last, with analysts now predicting that Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 could become the first film since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker to score a three-figure first frame.
As per CNBC, pre-sale tickets for No Time to Die are outpacing Venom: Let There Be Carnage in many areas across the country, and the eighteen-month delay coupled with strong reviews could see it smash through the $100 million barrier by the end of Sunday, which would also be a series high for 007.
However, at 163 minutes No Time to Die is almost twice as long as Tom Hardy’s superhero sequel, meaning that it won’t be getting screened as often on a daily basis. A healthy number is virtually guaranteed at this point, but $100 million could prove to be one step too far.