The James Bond Franchise: An Ongoing All Time High

James Bond remains one of cinema’s most prized commodities, raking in the money and entertaining the audience. Why doesn’t the world tire of 007?

The Bond Franchise: All Time High and Refuses to Die

James Bond, the super spy created by Ian Fleming, has always been popular. The combination of guns, gadgets and glamour is what makes James Bond so intriguing to audiences. James Bond is the greatest super spy the world has ever known. He’s also one of the most beloved film characters in all of cinema history. The character of Bond is one that has remained popular for over fifty years. The reason for this popularity can be attributed to the fact that each actor who plays Bond does something different with the character while still maintaining certain aspects of his personality. 

The Business of Bond

One can also assign 007’s staying power to the way that the business of Bond has been run; even though the release of Bond films have been relatively consistent over the years, it’s never been to the point of oversaturation. The periods between these films has always been long enough to nurture the public’s appetite for more. The Bond films are lavish productions, with costs running into the millions, yet, while they’re distributed by big studios like Sony or Universal, they’re made by Eon productions, which has been described as a ‘mom-and-pop’ operation, and this is because for years, the franchise has been in the hands of the Broccoli family. Either way, owning shares in production companies like the three just mentioned would line the pockets of investors and traders alike. 

A franchise that ages like a fine wine

The MCU has been greatly piloted by Kevin Feige, but the rate of at which Marvel films have been churned out has caused many to suffer from superhero fatigue. There can be little doubt that Bond’s steady rate of release combined with the fact that the films almost always deliver an expected degree of quality have allowed the franchise to age like a fine wine. Over the years each actor that has boldly taken on the mantle of 007 has played the character to his strengths, thus defining each tenure as an era. Quite recently audiences had the pleasure of seeing the Daniel Craig era come to end in absolute style with the release of No Time To Die. And while many Bond aficionados will always debate which era or actor is the best, with Sean Connery usually coming up tops, most place Daniel Craig at a close second. Craig’s tenure has been unique; he’s the only actor who had the opportunity to play the character from a hard reboot. This also allowed the producers to depart from the episodic nature of the Bond movies and do something they’d never done before with the character – to give him an arc. The Craig films combined tell an entire story from beginning to end, and if the ending if No Time To Die is anything to go by, it will be interesting to see who will ask for a Vodka Martini next and fill those shoes. 

It might be beloved, but it’s also about the money

It’s easy to overlook the fact that the 007 movies are about more than just satisfying fans and movie-going audiences alike; they’re also about money – a whole lot of money! The Craig era alone has generated nearly $3.2 billion and when one takes into account the fact that the revenue from the entire series is $7 billion, it soon becomes apparent that Craig’s era has been a real money spinner. The Bond films outside of their entertainment value have always served as great vessels of advertisements – watch No Time To Die to see how often Bond makes sure that everyone can see it’s a Heineken he’s drinking – with each film providing a slew of product placement opportunities. And let’s not forget the merchandise; toys, video games released across a slew of consoles since 1982 and an official 007 domain where fans can buy everything Bond under the sun. James Bond is important both culturally and as a currency.