It's been over 60 years since the first James Bond movie, Dr. No, hit the silver screen. In the years since, the franchise has seen seven actors take on the leading role of 007 across 27 films, collectively pulling in a whopping $21.3 billion (£17.1bn) in today's money.
There's currently a lot of buzz about who should step into the shoes of James Bond next, with filmmaker Greta Gerwig dropping Kingsley Ben-Adir's name into the mix as a potential 007 contender. Elsewhere, a new Bond-themed reality show, 007: Road to a Million, dropped on Amazon Prime Video late last year. The series, hosted by Succession star Brian Cox, features diehard Bond fans competing to win a cool £1 million ($1.2m) prize.
With Bond back in the news, read on for our rundown of the highest-grossing 007 outings in terms of worldwide box office revenues. The figures have been adjusted for inflation to give you an idea of how much they earned in today's money, and where they rank overall. All dollar values are in US dollars.
Released in 1989, Eon’s sixteenth entry in the franchise was the first that didn't take its title from an Ian Fleming novel. It was the second and final Bond film that starred Timothy Dalton in the role of 007.
Directed by John Glen, the picture grossed $156.2 million worldwide, or $381.9 million (£297m) in today's money.
Following Licence to Kill, Dalton was set to reprise his role as the famous spy, but legal issues between Eon Productions and MGM delayed the production by five years. Once the difficulties had been resolved, Dalton chose not to return.
Released in April 1967, Casino Royale is a comedy film that features David Niven in the role of James Bond.
In 1960, producer Charles K. Feldman bought the rights to Ian Fleming's first Bond novel of the same name. He tried to make the film with Eon Productions, the company that had already produced four successful Bond films starring Sean Connery, but his plans fell through. As a result, Feldman resolved to make his own film parody.
It was released just two months before Eon's You Only Live Twice, grossing $41.7 million at the box office, or around $383.1 million (£298m) in today's money. Critics failed to see the funny side, though, and it's the lowest-rated Bond film to this day.
Released in 1985, A View to a Kill was the seventh and final Bond film to star Roger Moore.
Directed by John Glen, the film grossed $152.6 million worldwide, the equivalent of $432.5 million (£337m) today.
The theme song A View to a Kill by British pop group Duran Duran earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song. Despite these accomplishments, the film was blasted by critics who felt Moore was too old to play the globetrotting spy at the age of 57.
Released in 1983, Never Say Never Again is based on the James Bond novel Thunderball by Ian Fleming, itself based on an original story by Fleming, Jack Whittingham, and Kevin McClory.
The film wasn’t produced by Eon Productions. It was made by Taliafilm and produced by McClory following a long legal battle dating from the 1960s over the rights to the Thunderball storyline. Sean Connery returned to the role for the seventh and final time, 12 years after his last appearance. The film's title is a reference to Connery's 1971 declaration that he would never play the role again.
At 53, Connery played an ageing version of James Bond called out of retirement. The film was both a critical and financial success, grossing $160 million worldwide. In today's money, that equates to a gross of $481.8 million (£375m).
Timothy Dalton made his debut as James Bond in 1987's The Living Daylights. The title comes from a short Ian Fleming story of the same name, but only part of the film's plot comes from the source material.
It was the last Bond film to use an Ian Fleming title until Casino Royale in 2006.
Directed by John Glen, the movie earned $191.2 million worldwide, a neat $511 million (£398m) today. It's regarded as both a critical and commercial success, with much praise given to Dalton's fresh take on the iconic role.
The ninth entry in Eon's Bond franchise, The Man with the Golden Gun was Roger Moore's second appearance as the MI6 agent.
Released in 1974, it's a loose adaptation of the posthumously published Ian Fleming novel of the same name. Moore stars with Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight as he faces off against the villainous Scaramanga, played by Christopher Lee.
The fourth and final film in the series to be directed by Guy Hamilton, it grossed $97.6 million at the box office. That's a cool $571.9 million (£445m) in today's money. Despite its commercial success, the film is widely regarded as unremarkable today.
Roger Moore played the famous spy for the sixth time in 1983's Octopussy, Eon's 13th Bond film.
The title was inspired by Ian Fleming's short story collection, Octopussy and The Living Daylights, but the premise is original.
Directed by John Glen, the film grossed $187.5 million worldwide, an impressive $573.1 million (£446m) today.
Based on the 1958 novel of the same name, Dr. No became the first James Bond film when it was released in 1962.
Many of the features we associate with Bond films today were developed during the film's production, including the iconic theme tune. Dr. No stars Sean Connery in his first outing as agent 007, alongside Swedish actor Ursula Andress as Bond girl Honey Ryder.
The film, created by Eon Productions and directed by Terence Young, grossed $59.6 million at the box office. That's an epic $594.3 million (£463m) today. Although it received mixed reviews at the time, it's now regarded as one of the best classic Bond flicks.
Released in 1997, Tomorrow Never Dies features Pierce Brosnan in the role of James Bond for the second time.
The only Bond film directed by Roger Spottiswoode, it opened to mixed reviews but still grossed an impressive $339.5 million. That's the equivalent of $640.1 million (£498m) today.
Although it was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year, it was the only Pierce Brosnan Bond film that didn't open at number one at the box office. It opened on the same day as James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic, which snagged the top spot.
In 1999's The World Is Not Enough, Pierce Brosnan reprised his role as the spy extraordinaire for the third time.
The film, directed by Michael Apted, was a commercial success, grossing $361.7 million worldwide – the equivalent of $653.6 million (£508m) today.
However, it was less of a hit with critics and is now regarded as the worst Brosnan Bond movie. Reviewers were particularly scathing of Denise Richards' performance as nuclear scientist Dr Christmas Jones, calling her acting unbelievable.
In 1981, For Your Eyes Only was the feature film directorial debut of John Glen, who went on to direct four more Bond movies. It was the 12th film produced by Eon, and Roger Moore once again starred as Bond.
After the science fiction-themed Moonraker, producers wanted to return to a grittier and more realistic style. The film was based on two short stories by Ian Fleming, For Your Eyes Only and Risico, though elements were also inspired by other Bond novels such as Live and Let Die and Goldfinger.
Opening to mixed reviews, it went on to gross $195.3 million, an epic $655.6 million (£510m) in today's money.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released in 1969. Following a dispute with the film's production team, Sean Connery abruptly left the role of James Bond in 1967, leaving George Lazenby – a model with no acting experience – to take over the part.
The film, directed by Peter R. Hunt, grossed $82 million at the global box office, a hefty $661.5 million (£515m) in today's money.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was Lazenby’s first and only outing as 007 as the actor felt his contract was too demanding.
Following Timothy Dalton's departure from the franchise after 1989's Licence to Kill, a brand new Bond was needed for 1995's Goldeneye.
Pierce Brosnan ultimately scored the coveted role, with Dame Judi Dench cast as M, making her the first woman to play the iconic part.
The film grossed $356.4 million, a mammoth $705.7 million (£549m) when factoring in inflation. Directed by Martin Campbell, Goldeneye is widely regarded as Brosnan's best Bond film.
Die Another Day from 2002 is the fourth and final Bond film to feature Pierce Brosnan. He co-stars with Halle Berry, who portrays secret agent Jinx Johnson.
Directed by Lee Tamahori, the film was a box office smash, grossing $431.9 million. Today, that's the equivalent of $724.5 million (£564m).
Following the success of the movie, Brosnan was set to return to the role once more. However, Eon Productions unexpectedly decided to reboot the franchise with a darker, grittier feel, and Brosnan was fired.
From Russia with Love was the second Bond film to feature Sean Connery, starring alongside Daniela Bianchi, who plays cipher clerk Tatiana Romanova.
Directed by Terence Young, the movie earned $78.9 million worldwide, the equivalent of $774.1 million (£602m) today.
Eon Production's 25th entry in the franchise, No Time to Die, stars Daniel Craig as Bond for the fifth and final time.
The production team resisted calls to launch the film on streaming services, and, after a series of delays due to the pandemic, the movie eventually made its cinema debut in September 2021.
Despite the fact that the cinema industry was still struggling as a result of the pandemic, the film grossed over $760 million globally, an impressive $835.7 million (£650m) today.
A direct sequel to Casino Royale, 2008’s Quantum of Solace was Daniel Craig's second Bond outing.
Directed by Marc Forster, the film was a box office success, grossing $591.7 million worldwide. That's $847.1 million (£659m) in today's money.
The movie garnered mixed reviews, with many critics claiming that it wasn't as good as its predecessor, Casino Royale. Although Daniel Craig's performance was praised, the film was criticised for its excessive violence.
Diamonds Are Forever, released in 1971, is the seventh Eon Bond film and Sean Connery's sixth appearance as the famous spy. The plot once again pits Connery against villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Charles Grey in this entry.
Directed by Guy Hamilton, Diamonds are Forever grossed $116 million worldwide, the equivalent of $853.4 million (£663m) today.
In 1979, Roger Moore made his fourth appearance as James Bond in Moonraker. Based on Ian Fleming's novel of the same name, the author intended for the book to be made into a film before he completed it.
Producers had planned to adapt For Your Eyes Only, but with the growing popularity of science fiction after the release of Star Wars in 1977, they chose to invest in the space-themed Moonraker instead.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert, the film pulled in $210.3 million globally, an incredible $884.6 million (£688m) today.
Casino Royale, released in 2006, marked a gritty reboot of the beloved franchise. Numerous actors, including Henry Cavill and Ewan McGregor, were considered for the role of Bond, but Daniel Craig ultimately scored the part.
Meanwhile, French actor Eva Green beat Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron to the role of Bond girl Vesper Lynd.
Despite fans' initial concerns that Craig's appearance didn't live up to the tall, dark, and handsome Bond they'd grown accustomed to, the film was a critical and commercial success. It grossed $594.4 million globally, or $897.1 million (£698m) in today's money.
Directed by Lewis Gilbert, 1979’s The Spy Who Loved Me was Roger Moore’s third appearance as James Bond.
The movie takes its name from the 1962 Ian Fleming novel but doesn't contain any elements from the book's plot. It was the first film to feature the iconic Bond villain Jaws, played by Richard Kiel.
The movie made $185.4 million worldwide, a staggering $924.3 million (£719m) today. A critical hit too, the film received three Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song.
The fifth film in Eon's Bond franchise, 1967's You Only Live Twice, stars Sean Connery. It was also the first to be directed by Lewis Gilbert.
British writer Roald Dahl, famous for his children's books, wrote the screenplay, and it was the first Bond film to discard most of the original plot, using only a few characters and locations from Ian Fleming's book of the same name.
It grossed a cool $111.6 million in 1967. In today's money, that's an incredible $1 billion (£777m) at the worldwide box office.
After Connery's departure from the franchise following Diamonds Are Forever, there was much speculation about who should play the next James Bond.
Burt Reynolds was approached for the gig but declined, believing the role should be played by a British actor. Roger Moore was eventually chosen, with Guy Hamilton returning to direct.
Live and Let Die grossed $161.8 million worldwide, or $1.1 billion (£855m) today. Its title song, written and performed by Paul and Linda McCartney's band Wings, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Directed by Academy Award winner Sam Mendes, 2015's Spectre is the 24th film in the Eon Bond series and the fourth to star Daniel Craig. A commercial hit, the movie earned $879.1 million globally, an epic $1.1 billion (£855m) in today's money.
Spectre was also a critical success. The theme song, Writing’s on the Wall, performed by Sam Smith, won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Released in 1964, the third entry in Eon’s Bond franchise was the first to win an Oscar, scoring the award for Best Sound Editing. The film, the first in the series to be directed by Guy Hamilton, grossed $124.9 million globally. That works out at a staggering $1.2 billion (£932m) today.
The success of the movie spawned some popular promotional merchandise, including a miniature Aston Martin DB5 car that was the best-selling toy of 1964.
Thunderball was Connery’s fourth outing as James Bond and the third and final Bond film directed by Terence Young. It grossed $141.2 million worldwide upon its 1965 release, an eye-watering $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) in today's money.
The film snagged the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1966. Today, it's widely regarded as one of Connery's best Bond films.
The highest-grossing Bond film of all time, Skyfall raked in a stunning $1.1 billion upon its release in 2012, that's $1.5 billion (£1.12bn) today. The star-studded cast featured Daniel Craig as Bond, Javier Bardem as the villainous Raoul Silva, and Judi Dench in her final appearance as M.
The film debuted to widespread critical praise, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise. It went on to win two Academy Awards, two BAFTAs, and two Grammys.
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