Time and the box office have been kind to Daniel Craig’s James Bond victory lap. While the pandemic may have dampened the full potential of the latest 007 adventure, there were still a fair share of golden moments to be had. As it enjoys its recent home video release, No Time To Die has just added a new milestone into its stable of honors.
Variety cited a report on the UK home entertainment industry’s performance in 2021, and the result was a healthy showing that saw a 13.7% increase in the sector. What’s more, the 25th Bond film found itself ranking as the best-performing home video release of the year. 1.14 million discs were sold in the UK at the time of this data’s collection, with 717,000 going out the door in just the first two weeks. Throw in the title of the best 4K UHD first week sales, and it’s a cocktail worthy of the greatest movie spy out there.
Reading about how much Daniel Craig’s swan song is crushing on home video is a hopeful sign for the overall bottom line on No Time To Die. Pandemic-induced delays saw the movie taking on a ton of unexpected costs while staying on the shelf, profitability was a going concern. As theatrical distributor MGM rejected claims that Bond lost money at the box office, the worldwide cinematic run raked in roughly $774 million all told. Before Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted, it was the highest performing Hollywood movie for the year.
Home video statistics haven’t exactly been a subject of much discussion in the modern Hollywood. Those used to be the stats that used to be able to carry a movie like Hellboy II: The Golden Army into production, but sales seemed to dip after the mid-2000s; more than likely due to the streaming revolution. With the COVID-19 pandemic still complicating release models all over, PVOD rentals and home video purchases seem like more of a concrete investment for any film looking to profit.
Physical media sales like the ones reported for No Time To Die are even more impressive as PVOD rentals were available for over a month before December’s home debut. Blockbusters and failed flame-outs alike should be emboldened by this news, as a more transparent picture for the ideal release model seems to be getting clearer with every result. This means whenever No Time to Die debuts on its eventual streaming home, that will be the next big indicator of just how successful Daniel Craig’s final adventure as 007 really is.
While you might already have a copy of No Time To Die, or may have even gifted a copy to someone you know, the film remains available for purchase or rental. The future awaits those who seek it throughout the year, as 2022’s release schedule continues to show the way forward. Of course, it might be a little too early for some James Bond fans to move on, and those looking to go back to the start of the Craig era can head to Netflix to watch Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, as of the time of this writing.
