Re-Release Performance
27th June 2022
We analyse the success of each James Bond film back in UK cinemas this year
By MI6 Staff
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The James Bond filmes are being re-released on the big screen in the UK to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the franchise. Select cinemas are scheduling each film, in order, with the latest adventure 'No Time To Die' set to make a return to cinemas on October 5th, which is 'James Bond Day.' Screenings have been in 4K digital at select Vue and Odeon Cinemas across the UK and Ireland and tickets can be booked on the following sites: Odeon, Vue and Cineworld.
The BFI publishes UK & Ireland box-office data for each weekend. Although some of the Bond screenings fall outside the Friday to Sunday window in some locations, the weekend takings are a good indicator of the success of each film. To add another wrinkle, some locations are opting in and out of certain films, so the number of screens available for audiences to watch differs week to week. To that end, the 'per-screen average' of each film has been calculated.
Box-Office Sorted Chronologically
The fortunes of the Bond films vary week by week. Audiences came out in droves for Connery's 'Goldfinger', but dropped off considerably for the follow-up 'Thunderball'. Long ostricised before Daniel Craig's era, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' demonstrated its significance to the fan base by securing almost double the takings of 'Diamonds Are Forever' before it. British audiences flocked back for Roger Moore's debut outing 'Live And Let Die' and even more so for 'The Spy Who Loved Me', with even the critically derided 'The Man With The Golden Gun' out-performing two of Connery's films.
| Film | Weekend | Screens | Average |
| Dr. No | £ 8,349 | 89 | £ 94 |
| From Russia With Love | £ 8,806 | 104 | £ 85 |
| Goldfinger | £ 13,960 | 118 | £ 118 |
| Thunderball | £ 7,907 | 98 | £ 81 |
| You Only Live Twice | £ 8,030 | 96 | £ 84 |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | £ 11,114 | 110 | £ 101 |
| Diamonds Are Forever | £ 6,638 | 99 | £ 67 |
| Live And Let Die | £ 10,767 | 114 | £ 94 |
| The Man With The Golden Gun | £ 8,001 | 102 | £ 78 |
| The Spy Who Loved Me | £ 12,844 | 101 | £ 127 |
Box-Office Sorted By Weekend Takings
'Goldfinger' still proves to be the film to beat with fans and casual audiences alike as it sits atop the chart. Another popular entry with the general public, 'The Spy Who Loved Me', gave it a close run. Whether it found new fans curious about it following 'No Time To Die's liberal lifting from it, or whether it was just a bigger pull for fans not bothering with some of the other films, 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' also had a strong box-office. Few would have predicted 'Thunderball' to rank so lowly, and would have been bottom of the pile had it not been for 'Diamonds Are Forever', whose sparkle has certainly faded.
| Film | Weekend | Screens | Average |
| Goldfinger | £ 13,960 | 118 | £ 118 |
| The Spy Who Loved Me | £ 12,844 | 101 | £ 127 |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | £ 11,114 | 110 | £ 101 |
| Live And Let Die | £ 10,767 | 114 | £ 94 |
| From Russia With Love | £ 8,806 | 104 | £ 85 |
| Dr. No | £ 8,349 | 89 | £ 94 |
| You Only Live Twice | £ 8,030 | 96 | £ 84 |
| The Man With The Golden Gun | £ 8,001 | 102 | £ 78 |
| Thunderball | £ 7,907 | 98 | £ 81 |
| Diamonds Are Forever | £ 6,638 | 99 | £ 67 |
Box-Office Sorted By Per Screen Average
Although the box-office gross is the number most releases are measured by, a 'per-screen average' (or, the box-office total divided by the number of screens) can be a fairer way of ranking the success of the films as the number of cinemas dipping in and out of the run varies week to week. For example, some fans may not live close to another location if their local cinema opts out for one week. 'Dr. No' suffered the most in terms of its box-office gross as it was played at the fewest number of cinemas. The bigger story here, though, is that 'The Spy Who Loved Me' now beats 'Goldfinger' as although it fell short at the weekend gross, it played on 17 fewer screens, so each individual cinema was (on average) busier for Roger than Sean.
| Film | Weekend | Screens | Average |
| The Spy Who Loved Me | £ 12,844 | 101 | £ 127 |
| Goldfinger | £ 13,960 | 118 | £ 118 |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | £ 11,114 | 110 | £ 101 |
| Live And Let Die | £ 10,767 | 114 | £ 94 |
| Dr. No | £ 8,349 | 89 | £ 94 |
| From Russia With Love | £ 8,806 | 104 | £ 85 |
| You Only Live Twice | £ 8,030 | 96 | £ 84 |
| Thunderball | £ 7,907 | 98 | £ 81 |
| The Man With The Golden Gun | £ 8,001 | 102 | £ 78 |
| Diamonds Are Forever | £ 6,638 | 99 | £ 67 |
This article will be updated periodically through the remainder of the re-release season.
