The ongoing coronavirus pandemic saw cinemas around the world close their doors for months on end, with film buffs craving the day they would be able to enjoy the next blockbuster on the big screen, surrounded by hundreds of other fans. While cinemas continue to face low visitor numbers, the virus didn’t get in the way of the new highly anticipated James Bond film, No Time To Die, which saw record-breaking numbers on its opening weekend. 

No Time To Die sees record-breaking opening weekend

No Time To Die was initially scheduled for release in April 2020, before being pushed back a number of times as a result of the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. Studios wanted to ensure that fans would be able to see the film on the big screen, surrounded by other die-hard Bond fans, but many were concerned that the pandemic would stop the film from bringing in big audiences. 

It seems those fears were definitely unnecessary here in the Netherlands, where the 25th instalment in the James Bond series raked in an impressive 3,5 million euros on its opening weekend after its release on September 30, making it the best-performing Bond film ever and the third-highest opening weekend the Netherlands has ever seen, after The Lion King (2019) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). 

Dutch fans go crazy for latest Bond film

Hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands have already seen No Time To Die, with Universal Studios reporting that, compared to the 53 other countries in which it was released last week, the film’s figures in the Netherlands were “more than above average.” 

No Time To Die sees Daniel Craig take up the mantle of Bond for the fifth and final time, as he faces off against the latest Bond villain, Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek), who threatens the world with a dangerous new virus.