James Bond: No Time To Die has become Hollywood’s biggest international (excluding US markets) pandemic film release so far, overtaking F9.

The film, which is Daniel Craig’s final outing as the quintessentially British spy, has made more than $558m (£416m) at the box office – $700m (£521m) if you include the US takings.

In the US, No Time To Die hit cinemas one week after it’s UK release, and is expected to soon topple F9 in the total global Hollywood standings, which is only $12m ahead.

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Bond 25 was delayed several times as a result of pandemic-enforced cinema closures, and hit screens as part of a busy release schedule, which included new Marvel movies, sci-fi thriller Dune, and monster action film Godzilla vs Kong.

It has finally been released in Australia, after the country’s lockdowns eased, following releases across Europe and Asia – including in China, which is the world’s biggest film market.

Bond’s success underlines the wider fortunes of the cinema industry, which has started to recover following global lockdowns.

Cineworld, the second-biggest cinema chain in the world, said that revenue had exceeded pre-pandemic levels in October, thanks to an “excellent slate of movies”.

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There still a number of big-hitting films to be released this year, including the latest Spider-Man film, No Way Home, the fourth outing in The Matrix franchise, Resurrections and a Ghostbusters reboot-come-sequel called Afterlife.

Speculation is rife as to who might be the next person to step into James Bond’s suit, with producers confirming at the end of No Time To Die that he would be returning in the future.

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The likes of Henry Cavill, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba and Rege-Jean Page have all been rumoured to be the next Bond, but producer Barbara Broccoli told Sky News earlier in the year that it could be some time before we find out.

James Bond: No Time To Die will become available to watch at home on Sky Store Premiere this Friday.

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