The October box office rebound continues with the highly anticipated arrival of No Time to Die [JB25]. The 25th film in the 007 franchise was originally scheduled to open April 2020, but became to first title to have its release pulled ahead of the COVID pandemic. Daniel Craig finally returns for his fifth and final outing as James Bond with MGM essentially marketing the film twice. The PG-13 rated spy adventure has earned excellent reviews, which should alleviate the concerns of fans disappointed by previous chapter Spectre 6 years ago. No Time to Die scored the highest opening weekend for a 007 film in its native UK. 2012’s Skyfall currently holds that mark in the U.S. at $88.4 million. Advance ticket sales for No Time to Die are pacing last weekend's Venom, which opened to $90 million. However, the older Bond fanbase is more likely to reserve tickets in advance than younger Venom fans who bought tickets at the window. No Time to Die is also an hour longer. Booked in 4407 locations, No Time to Die may clock $77 million.
The blockbuster opening weekend of Venom: Let There Be Carnage [VENM2] was likely frontloaded by comic fans. With direct competition from Bond, Venom could tumble 65% in its second weekend to $31 million.
Despite being available on VOD, The Addams Family 2 [ADAM2] debuted better than expected. The family-friendly animated film could hold 55% of its opening for another $9.5 million.
On the other hand, The Many Saints of Newark [TMSON] was hurt by its availability on streaming. "The Sopranos" prequel could drop 50% to $2.2 million.
That’s the whisper from the virtual trading floor.
Tag(s): JB25, VENM2, ADAM2, TMSON