Despite initially stating he would not directSpectre, Mendes confirmed his return in 2014 afterNicolas Winding Refn declined to direct; Mendes became the first to direct successiveJames Bond films sinceJohn Glen. The inclusion of Spectre and its associated characters marked the end of theThunderball controversy, in whichKevin McClory and Fleming were embroiled in lengthy legal disputes over the film rights to the novel;Spectre is the first film to feature these elements sinceDiamonds Are Forever (1971). Following theSony Pictures hack, it was revealed Sony and Eon clashed regarding finance, stunts, and filming locations;Spectre is estimated to have a final budget of $245–300 million.Principal photography began in December 2014 and lasted until July 2015, with filming locations including Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Morocco, and Mexico.
Spectre premiered at theRoyal Albert Hall on 26 October 2015 and was theatrically released in conventional andIMAX formats in the United Kingdom that day, and in the United States on 6 November. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the action sequences, cast performances (particularly Craig's and Bautista's), and the musical score, but criticised the pacing and formulaic narrative decisions. It grossed $880 million worldwide, making it thesixth-highest-grossing film of 2015 and the second-highest grossingJames Bond film afterSkyfall,unadjusted for inflation (fourth when adjusted). The film's theme song, "Writing's on the Wall", won anAcademy Award andGolden Globe for Best Original Song. The next film in the series,No Time to Die, was released in 2021.
A posthumous message from the previous M leads MI6 agentJames Bond to carry out a mission inMexico City, foiling a bombing attempt on a stadium during theDay of the Dead festival. Bond obtains a ring, stylised with an octopus, from deceased attacker Marco Sciarra and uncovers his connection to a secret organisation.
InLondon,Gareth Mallory, the current M, suspends Bond for his unauthorised action. M is engaged in a power struggle with Max Denbigh (whom Bond dubs "C"), the Director-General of the newprivately backed Joint Intelligence Service formed by the merger ofMI5 and MI6. C campaigns for Britain to join the global surveillance and intelligence initiative "Nine Eyes" and shut down the'00' section. Bond, who was operating on a mission posthumously assigned by the previous M to eliminate Sciarra and track down his employers, goes rogue from MI6, withEve Moneypenny andQ agreeing to aid Bond covertly.
Following the previous M's instructions, Bond attends Sciarra's funeral inRome and rescues his widow Lucia from assassins. Lucia reveals Sciarra's association with a terrorist network run by Franz Oberhauser, who has been presumed dead for twenty years. Using Sciarra's ring, Bond infiltrates a meeting, where Oberhauser targets the "Pale King" for assassination. Oberhauser recognises Bond, who flees across the city in a modifiedAston Martin DB10, pursued by the network's top assassin Hinx. Moneypenny identifies the Pale King asMr. White, a former member of the organisation's subsidiary Quantum. Bond tracks White down toAltaussee, where he is dying ofthallium poisoning.
Bond offers to protect White's daughterMadeleine Swann, a psychiatrist who possesses knowledge about "L'Américain". White commits suicide. Bond finds Swann, who is reluctant to trust him until Hinx and his forces abduct her. Bond rescues Swann, earning him her trust. Q revealsLe Chiffre,Dominic Greene andRaoul Silva as agents of Oberhauser's organisation, which Swann reveals is namedSpectre. Swann takes Bond to L'Américain, a hotel inTangier, where a secret room directs them to Oberhauser's base in theSahara. Hinx ambushes them en route to the base, but they fight him off and defeat him. Arriving at the base, Bond and Swann confront Oberhauser, who reveals Spectre's involvement in the Joint Intelligence Service and the Nine Eyes programme.
C, complicit in Spectre's scheme, plans to give Spectre unrestricted access to intelligence gathered by Nine Eyes. After showing Swann a distressing recording of her father's suicide, Oberhauser subjects Bond to neurosurgical torture: he discusses his shared past with Bond to Swann, revealing that they became adoptive brothers after Bond's parents died. Believing that his father loved Bond more than him, Oberhauser killed him and staged his death as well. Since then, he founded Spectre intending to target Bond and adopted the nameErnst Stavro Blofeld. Bond and Swann break free, stun Blofeld with an explosive wristwatch, and destroy the base before fleeing to London to prevent Nine Eyes from going online.
In London, Bond, Swann, M, Q,Bill Tanner and Moneypenny gather to arrest C, but Swann and Bond are separately abducted by Spectre operatives, while the others proceed with the plan. After Q stops Nine Eyes from going online, a fatal struggle between M and C results in C's death. Bond is taken to the ruins of the oldMI6 building, scheduled for demolition after Silva's bombing,[b] where Swann is held captive. Blofeld, who survived the Sahara base's destruction with heavy scarring to his face, gives Bond a three-minute ultimatum to abandon Swann or attempt a rescue and risk death. Bond finds Swann and they escape as the building collapses. Bond shoots down Blofeld's helicopter, which crashes ontoWestminster Bridge. Blofeld survives and is arrested by M. Later, Bond receives his restoredAston Martin DB5 from Q and drives off with Swann.
Daniel Craig asJames Bond, agent 007. The directorSam Mendes has described Bond as being extremely focused inSpectre, likening his new-found dedication to hunting.[15]
Christoph Waltz asErnst Stavro Blofeld (born Franz Oberhauser), Bond's nemesis and the mysterious mastermind behindSpectre, as well as the puppeteer responsible for a series of recent events in Bond's life, motivated by a longstanding grudge against him.
Andrew Scott as Max Denbigh "C", head of the new joint intelligence service and an agent for Spectre, heavily involved with their plan to merge nine national intelligence agencies into the Nine Eyes Committee, allowing Spectre to have the power to take over the world.
Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, a fugitive from MI6 and a former senior figure in Spectre'sQuantum subsidiary, as portrayed inCasino Royale andQuantum of Solace,[20][21] now dying from thallium poisoning after falling from Spectre's favour over his reservations relating to human trafficking.
Monica Bellucci as Lucia Sciarra, the Italian wife of assassin Marco Sciarra.[22]
Stephanie Sigman as Estrella, a Mexican agent who accompanies Bond on his mission to assassinate Marco Sciarra.
Alessandro Cremona as Marco Sciarra,[23] an Italian Spectre agent whom Bond kills in the pre-title sequence of the movie.
Judi Dench as Mallory's predecessor M, who posthumously gives Bond his mission. This film marks Dench's eighth and final appearance as M, 20 years after beginning withGoldenEye.[24]
In March 2013, Mendes said he would not return to direct the next film in the series, then known asBond 24,[25][26] but later recanted and announced that he would return, as he found the script and the plans for the long-term future of the franchise appealing.[27]Nicolas Winding Refn would later reveal that he turned down an offer to direct the film.[28] In directingSkyfall andSpectre, Mendes became the first director to oversee two successiveBond films sinceJohn Glen directed five consecutive films, ending withLicence to Kill in 1989.[29]Dennis Gassner returned as the film's production designer,[30] while cinematographerHoyte van Hoytema took over fromRoger Deakins.[30][31] In July 2015 Mendes noted that the combined crew ofSpectre numbered over one thousand, making it a larger production thanSkyfall.[32] Craig is listed as co-producer. He considered the credit a high point of his career, saying, "I'm just so proud of the fact that my name comes up somewhere else on the titles."[33]
The film's use of theSPECTRE organisation and its characters marked the end oflong-standing litigation betweenEon Productions and producerKevin McClory, who sued James Bond creatorIan Fleming in 1961 claiming ownership over elements of the novelThunderball,[34] and in an out of court settlement two years later, was awarded the novel's film rights, including Spectre and its characters.[c] McClory died in 2006, and in November 2013, MGM and the McClory estate formally settled the issue withDanjaq, sister company of Eon Productions—with MGM acquiring the full copyright film rights to the concept of Spectre and all of the characters associated with it.[36] It has been suggested that with the acquisition of the film rights and the organisation's re-introduction to the series' continuity, the SPECTRE acronym was discarded and the organisation reimagined as "Spectre".[37][38][39]
WhenSony Pictures renegotiated withMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer the deal to cofinance theBond franchise in 2011, they were tasked to provide 25% of thenegative cost of bothSkyfall andSpectre, in exchange for receiving 25% of the profits plus distribution fees for overseeing its worldwide rollout. When the film was announced in June 2013, the budget was not yet fixed, but was certain to be higher than the $210 million ofSkyfall due to foreign locations and bigger payments for Mendes and Craig.[40] In November 2014, Sony wastargeted by hackers who released details of confidential e-mails between Sony executives regarding several high-profile film projects. Included within these were several memos relating to the production ofSpectre, claiming that the film was over budget, detailing early drafts of the script written byJohn Logan, and expressing Sony's frustration with the project.[41] Eon Productions later issued a statement confirming the leak of what they called "an early version of the screenplay".[42] Eon resisted Sony and MGM's arguments to cut down on stunts and location work to reduce the budget but managed to secure tax incentives and rebates, such as $14 million from Mexico.Spectre has a final budget estimated between $250 million and $275 million.[40]
Spectre marked the return of many scriptwriters from the previousBond films, such asSkyfall writer John Logan;[29]Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who had done work in five previousBond films;[d] and British playwrightJez Butterworth, who had previously made uncredited contributions toSkyfall. Butterworth was brought in to polish the script, being helped by Mendes and Craig. Butterworth considered that his changes involved adding what he would like to see as a teenager, and limited the scenes with Bond talking to men, as "Bond shoots other men—he doesn't sit around chatting to them. So you put a line through that."[44] With the acquisition of the rights to Spectre and its associated characters, Purvis and Wade revealed that the film would provide a minorretcon to the continuity of the previous films, with the Quantum organisation alluded to inCasino Royale and introduced inQuantum of Solace reimagined as a division within Spectre rather than an independent organisation which is implied to be no longer active by the film's events. The plot ofSpectre also linked the events ofSkyfall to Craig's first twoBond movies by revealing antagonist Raoul Silva to be associated with Spectre revertingSkyfall's initial solo story status.[45] Various plot ideas were discussed and discarded during the writing process. For example,Ralph Fiennes revealed in a 2021 podcast interview that at one stage Sam Mendes suggested a plot twist revealing M to be the villain, which Fiennes vetoed. Another draft by Logan had MI6 chief of staff Bill Tanner uncovered as a Spectre mole.[46][47][48]
Despite being an original story,Spectre draws onIan Fleming'ssource material, most notably in the character of Franz Oberhauser, played byChristoph Waltz, and his father Hannes. Hannes Oberhauser is a background character in the short story "Octopussy" from theOctopussy and The Living Daylights collection, and is named in the film as having been a temporarylegal guardian of a young Bond in 1983.[49] As Mendes searched for events in young Bond's life to follow the childhood discussed inSkyfall, he came across Hannes Oberhauser, who becomes afather figure to Bond. From there, Mendes conceived the idea of "a natural child who had beenpushed out, cuckoo in the nest" by Bond, which became Franz.[50] Similarly, Charmian Bond is shown to have been his full-time guardian, observing the back story established by Fleming.[49]
Christoph Waltz was cast in the role of Franz Oberhauser, though he refused to comment on the nature of the part.[52] It was later revealed with the film's release that he is Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Waltz got interested in the film for dealing with technology-assistedmass surveillance, "speaking about relevant social issues in a way that fewBonds have done before", and denied rumours that the role was written specially for him, but added that "when I came on board, the role grew, evolved, and mutated."[53]
Dave Bautista was cast as Mr Hinx after producers sought an actor with a background in contact sports.[54] The character only has one line in the entire film, "Shit". Sam Mendes thought the silent nature would drive Bautista away, but the lifelong Bond fan expressed interest in reviving the quiet henchman archetype of characters such asJaws, andOddjob fromGoldfinger.[55] Bautista said not talking created an acting challenge, "trying to find this way where I am actually going to have to speak without speaking."[56] After castingBérénice Marlohe, a relative newcomer, as Sévérine inSkyfall, Mendes sought out a more experienced actor for the role of Madeleine Swann, ultimately castingLéa Seydoux in the role.[57]Monica Bellucci joined the cast as Lucia Sciarra, becoming, at the age of fifty, the oldest actress to be cast as aBond girl. She had previously auditioned for the role of Paris Carver inTomorrow Never Dies, but was passed over in favour ofTeri Hatcher.[58] In a separate interview with Danish website Euroman,Jesper Christensen revealed he would be reprising his role as Mr White fromCasino Royale andQuantum of Solace.[20][21] Christensen's character was reportedly killed off in a scene intended to be used as an epilogue toQuantum of Solace, before it was removed from the final cut of the film, enabling his return inSpectre.[59]
In addition to the principal cast, Alessandro Cremona was cast as Marco Sciarra,Stephanie Sigman was cast as Estrella, andDetlef Bothe was cast as a villain for scenes shot in Austria.[23][60][61] In February 2015 over 1,500 background artistes were hired for the pre-title sequence set in Mexico, though they were replicated in the film, giving the effect of around 10,000 extras.[62][63][16][64]
Mendes revealed that production would begin on 8 December 2014 at Pinewood Studios, with filming taking seven months.[65] Mendes also confirmed several filming locations, includingLondon,Mexico City andRome. Van Hoytema shot the film mostly onKodak35mm film stock (in addition to digital cameras such as the6K Arri Alexa 65mm[66]), in contrast toSkyfall being filmed solely on digital cameras.[67] Early filming took place at Pinewood Studios, and aroundLondon, with scenes variously featuring Craig and Harris at Bond's flat, and Craig and Kinnear travelling down theRiver Thames.[68]
After being cancelled in 2012, theJaguar C-X75 was recommissioned to appear inSpectre.
TheAston Martin DB5 reappears after reconstruction in Q's workshop at the film's ending, with Bond driving away with it.
Filming was carried out in Austria between December 2014 and February 2015, with production taking place in the area aroundSölden—including theÖtztal Glacier Road,Rettenbach glacier and the adjacent ski resort plus cable car station—Obertilliach andLake Altaussee.[69][70][71] Scenes filmed in Austria centred on the Ice Q Restaurant, standing in for the fictional Hoffler Klinik, a private medical clinic in theAustrian Alps. Filming included an action scene featuring aLand Rover Defender Bigfoot and aRange Rover Sport.[72] Various aeroplane models were used in filming, from a life-sized plane with detachable wings to film the crash in the woods, to plane fuselages either built atopsnowmobiles or shot from nitrogen cannons.[73] Production was temporarily halted first by an injury to Craig, who suffered ameniscus tear while shooting a fight scene with Bautista,[74][75] and later by an accident involving a filming vehicle that saw three crew members injured, at least one of them seriously.[76][77]
Filming temporarily returned to England to shoot scenes atBlenheim Palace inOxfordshire, which stood in for a location in Rome, before moving on to the city itself for a five-week shoot across the city, with locations including thePonte Sisto bridge and theRoman Forum.[78] The production faced opposition from a variety of special interest groups and city authorities, who were concerned about the potential for damage to historical sites around the city, and problems with graffiti and rubbish appearing in the film.[79][80] Special effects supervisorChris Corbould stated the scenes had to be extensively planned prior to filming specially to avoid any mishaps, going to the point of building protection above steps where cars would drive.[73] A car chase scene set along the banks of theTiber River and through the streets of Rome[81] featured anAston Martin DB10 (a model developed especially for the film, with only 10 examples produced[82]) and aJaguar C-X75.[72] The C-X75 was originally developed as ahybrid electric vehicle with four independent electric engines powered by two jet turbines, before the project was cancelled.[83] The version used for filming was converted to use a conventionalinternal combustion engine, to minimise the potential for disruption from mechanical problems with the complex hybrid system. The C-X75s used for filming were developed by the engineering division of Formula One racing teamWilliams, who built the original C-X75 prototype for Jaguar.[84] Remote driving pods were built above the cars so the vehicles could be driven while the cameras focused on Craig and Bautista at the steering wheel.[73] According to chief stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell, filming the chase had the "risk of skidding into theVatican", and led to "a record for smashing up cars inSpectre—seven Aston Martins in all," with the film's car expenses estimated at £24 million ($48 million).[85]
With filming completed in Rome, production moved toMexico City in late March to shoot the film's opening sequence. Scenes for theDay of the Dead festival filmed in and around theZócalo and theCentro Histórico district, including at theGran Hotel Ciudad de México.[86][87] At the time, no such Day of the Dead parade like the one from the film took place in Mexico City; in 2016, due to the interest raised bySpectre and the government's desire to promote thepre-Hispanic Mexican culture, the federal and local authorities decided to organise an actual "Día de Muertos" parade throughPaseo de la Reforma andCentro Histórico on 29 October 2016, which was attended by 250,000 people.[88][89] The film opens with along take that joins six shots seamlessly, and was one of the few scenes that requiredprevisualisation. Through extensive planning, filming did not requiremotion control cameras. Thescene joints were done in post-production through re-timing and re-projections, which even matched Mexico locations with interiors filmed at Pinewood.[73]
Filming of the Mexico City scenes, revolving around aDay of the Dead parade
The planned scenes required the city square to be closed for filming a sequence involving a fight aboard aMesserschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105CBS helicopter flown by stunt pilotChuck Aaron,[90] which called for modifications to be made to several buildings to prevent damage.[91] This particular scene in Mexico required 1,500 extras, 10 giant skeletons and 250,000 paper flowers.[92] Reports in the Mexican media added that the film's second unit would move toPalenque in the state ofChiapas, to film aerial manoeuvres considered too dangerous to shoot in an urban area.[93] These were pasted over a computer-generated square and crowd below the helicopter, withmotion capture doubles fighting inside. Mendes and the effects team felt that this approach "would get believable composition and movement" compared to adding a digital helicopter above the Mexico City location.[94] Following filming in Mexico, and during a scheduled break, Craig was flown to New York to undergo minor surgery to fix his knee injury. It was reported that filming was not affected and he had returned to filming at Pinewood Studios as planned on 22 April.[95] Nonetheless, some parts of the Mexico scene were done with stunt doubles, whose faces were digitally replaced with Craig's.[73]
On 17 May 2015 filming took place on the Thames in London. Stunt scenes involving Craig and Seydoux on a speedboat as well as a low flying helicopter nearWestminster Bridge were shot at night, with filming temporarily closing both Westminster andLambeth Bridges. Scenes were also shot on the river nearMI6's headquarters at Vauxhall Cross.[96] The crew returned to the river less than a week later to film scenes solely set on Westminster Bridge. TheLondon Fire Brigade was on set to simulate rain as well as monitor smoke used for filming. Craig, Seydoux, and Waltz, as well as Harris and Fiennes, were seen being filmed.[97] Prior to this, scenes involving Fiennes were shot at a restaurant inCovent Garden.[98] Blofeld's helicopter crash was done with two full sized helicopter shells, which were rigged with steelwork and an overhead track. Computer-generated rotor blades and scenery damage were added in post-production. TheMI6 building, which in the film is vacated and scheduled for demolition following the terrorist attack fromSkyfall, was replaced in the production plates for a digital reconstruction. When the building is detonated, it is a combination of both a miniature and a breakaway version of the digital building.[73]
After wrapping up in England, production travelled to Morocco in June, with filming taking place inOujda,Tangier andErfoud, after preliminary work was completed by the production's second unit.[99] The headquarters of Spectre in Morocco was located inGara Medouar which is a 'crater' caused by erosion and of neither volcanic nor impact origin.[100] An explosion filmed in Morocco holds aGuinness World Record for the largest film stunt explosion in cinematic history, involving 8,140 litres of kerosene and 24 charges each with a kilogramme of high explosives.[101] The outside shots of a train in a desert featured theOriental Desert Express.[102]Principal photography concluded on 5 July 2015. A wrap-up party forSpectre was held in commemoration before entering post-production.[103] Filming took 128 days.[104]
While filming in Mexico City, speculation in the media claimed that the script had been altered to accommodate the demands of Mexican authorities—reportedly influencing details of the scene and characters, casting choices, and modifying the script to portray the country in a "positive light"—to secure tax concessions and financial support worth up to $20 million for the film.[105] This was denied by producer Michael G. Wilson,[105] who stated that the scene had always been intended to be shot in Mexico as production had been attracted to the imagery of the Day of the Dead, and that the script had been developed from there.[106] Production ofSkyfall had previously faced similar problems while attempting to secure permits to shoot the film's pre-title sequence in India before moving to Istanbul.[107][108]
Thomas Newman returned asSpectre's composer.[30] Rather than composing during post-production, Newman worked during filming.[64] The theatrical trailer released in July 2015 contained a rendition ofJohn Barry'sOn Her Majesty's Secret Service theme.[110][111] Mendes said the film would have more than 100 minutes of music.[32] The soundtrack album was released on 23 October 2015 in the UK and 6 November in the US onDecca Records.[112][113]
During the December 2014 press conference announcing the start of filming,Aston Martin and Eon unveiled the newDB10 as the official car for the film. The DB10 was designed in collaboration between Aston Martin and the filmmakers, with only 10 being produced especially forSpectre as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the company's association with the franchise.[132] Only eight of those 10 were used for the film, however; the remaining two were used for promotional work.[133] After modifying theJaguar C-X75 for the film,Williams F1 carried the 007 logo ontheir cars at the2015 Mexican Grand Prix, with the team playing host to the cast and crew ahead of the Mexican premiere of the film.[134][135]
On 13 March 2015, several members of the cast and crew, including Craig, Whishaw, Wilson and Mendes, as well as previous James Bond actor,Sir Roger Moore, appeared in a sketch written byDavid Walliams and theDawson Brothers forComic Relief'sRed Nose Day onBBC One. In the sketch, they film abehind-the-scenesdocumentary on the filming ofSpectre.[138][139] The first teaser trailer forSpectre was released worldwide in March 2015,[140] followed by the theatrical trailer in July[141] and the final trailer in October.[142]
Spectre had its world premiere at theRoyal Film Performance, an event in aid of theFilm & TV Charity, in London on 26 October 2015 at the Royal Albert Hall, the same day as its general release in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.[143][144] It was released in the United States on 6 November.[145] Following the announcement of the start of filming,Paramount Pictures brought forward the release ofMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation to avoid competing withSpectre.[146] In March 2015IMAX corporation announced thatSpectre would be screened in its cinemas, followingSkyfall's success with the company.[147] In the UK it received a wider release thanSkyfall, with a minimum of 647 cinemas including 40 IMAX screens, compared toSkyfall's 587 locations and 21 IMAX screens.[148]
Spectre was released for Digital HD on 22 January 2016 and onDVD andBlu-ray on 9 and 22 February 2016 in the US and UK respectively.[149] It debuted atop the home video charts in both countries,[150][151] and finished 2016 with 1.5 million units in the UK, the second best-selling title of the year, behind onlyStar Wars: The Force Awakens,[152] and 2 million copies in the US, 12th in the year-end charts.[153]
The film was later released onUltra HD Blu-ray on 22 October 2019 by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment along with the previous three films, and standalone on 25 February 2020 in the US and 23 March 2020 in the UK.
Spectre grossed $880.7 million worldwide; $135.5 million of the takings were generated from the UK market and $200.1 million from North America.[14] Worldwide, this made it thesecond-highest-grossingJames Bond film afterSkyfall,[154] and thesixth-highest-grossing film of 2015.[155]Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $98.4 million, accounting for production budgets, marketing, talent participations, and other costs; box office grosses and home media revenues placed it sixteenth on their list of 2015's "Most Valuable Blockbusters".[156] Sony had expected the net profit of the film to be around $38 million had it performed to the same level of its predecessor, but it earned 20% less thanSkyfall.[157] Sony paid 50% of the production costs for the film—which totalled some $250 million after accounting for government incentives—but received only 25% of certain profits, once costs were recouped. The studio also spent tens of millions of dollars in marketing and had to give MGM some of the profit from the studio's non-Bond films, including22 Jump Street.[157]
In the United Kingdom, the film grossed £4.1 million ($6.4 million) from its Monday preview screenings.[158] It grossed £6.3 million ($9.2 million) on its opening day[159] and then £5.7 million ($8.8 million) on Wednesday, setting UK records for both days.[160] In the film's first seven days it grossed £41.7 million ($63.8 million), breaking the UK record for highest first-week opening, set byHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban's £23.9 million ($36.9 million) in 2004.[161] Its Friday–Saturday gross was £20.4 million ($31.2 million) compared toSkyfall's £20.1 million ($31 million). The film also broke the record for the best per-screen opening average with $110,000, a record previously held byThe Dark Knight with $100,200.[162] It has grossed a total of $136.3 million there.[163] In the UK, it surpassedAvatar to become the country's highest-grossing IMAX release ever with $10.09 million.[164]
Spectre opened in Germany with $22.5 million (including previews), which included a new record for the biggest Saturday of all time,[165] Australia with $8.7 million (including previews) and South Korea opened to $8.2 million (including previews).[166] Despite the13 November Paris attacks, which led to numerous theatres being closed down, the film opened with $14.6 million (including $2 million in previews) in France.[167] In Mexico, where part of the film was shot, it debuted with more than double that ofSkyfall with $4.5 million.[165] It also bested its predecessor's opening in various Nordic regions where MGM distributes, such as Finland ($2.7 million) and Norway ($2.9 million),[168] and in other markets like Denmark ($4.2 million), the Netherlands ($3.4 million), and Sweden ($3.1 million).[168] In India, it opened at No. 1 with $4.8 million which is 4% above the opening ofSkyfall.[169] It topped the German-speaking Switzerland box office for four weeks and in the Netherlands, it held the No. 1 spot for seven weeks straight where it toppedMinions to become the top movie of the year.[163][170] The top earning markets are Germany ($70.3 million) and France ($38.8 million).[171] In Paris, it has the second-highest ticket sales of all time with 4.1 million tickets sold only behindSpider-Man 3 which sold over 6.3 million tickets in 2007.[172]
In the United States and Canada the film opened on 6 November 2015, and in its opening weekend, was originally projected to gross $70–75 million from 3,927 screens, the widest release for a Bond film.[173] However, after it grossed $5.3 million from its early Thursday night showings and $28 million on its opening day, weekend projections were increased to $75–80 million. The film ended up grossing $70.4 million in its opening weekend (about $20 million less thanSkyfall's $90.6 million debut, including IMAX previews), but nevertheless finished first at the box office.[174] IMAX generated $9.1 million forSpectre at 374 screens, premium large format made $8 million from 429 cinemas, reaping 11% of the film's opening, which means thatSpectre earned $17.1 million (23%) of its opening weekend total in large-format venues. Cinemark XD generated $1.9 million in 112 XD locations.[174][175]
In China, it opened on 12 November and earned $15 million on its opening day, which is the second biggest 2D single day gross for a Hollywood film behind the $18.5 million opening day ofMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and occupying 43% of all available screens which included $790,000 in advance night screenings.[176] Through its opening weekend, it earned $48.1 million from 14,700 screens which is 198% ahead ofSkyfall,[166] a new record for a Hollywood 2D opening.[177] IMAX contributed $4.6 million on 246 screens, also a new record for a three-day opening for a November release (breakingInterstellar's record).[166] In its second weekend, it added $12.1 million falling precipitously by 75% which is the second worst second weekend drop for any major Hollywood release in China of 2015.[178] It grossed a total of $84.7 million there after four weekends (foreign films in the Middle Kingdom play for 30 days only, unless granted special extensions).[179] Despite a strong opening, it failed to attain the $100 million mark there as projected due to mixed response from critics and audiences as well as facing competition from local films.[163][180][181]
Spectre has an approval rating of 63% based on 368 professional reviews on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 6.4/10. Its critical consensus reads, "Spectre nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula."[182]Metacritic (which uses a weighted average) assignedSpectre a score of 60 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[183] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[174]
Dave Bautista was praised for his performance as Hinx.
Prior to its UK release,Spectre mostly received positive reviews.[184]Mark Kermode, film critic forThe Observer, gave the film four out of five stars, observing that the film did not live up to the standard set bySkyfall, but was able to tap into audience expectations.[185] Writing inThe Guardian,Peter Bradshaw gave the film a full five stars, calling it "inventive, intelligent and complex", and singling out Craig's performance as the film's highlight.[186] In another five star review,The Daily Telegraph'sRobbie Collin describedSpectre as "a swaggering show of confidence'", lauding it as "a feat of pure cinematic necromancy".[187] Positive yet critical assessments included Kim Newman ofSight and Sound, who wrote that "for all its wayward plotting (including an unhelpful tie-in with Bond's childhood that makes very little sense) and off-the-peg elements,Spectre works" as he felt "the audience's patience gets tested by two and a half hours of set-pieces strung on one of the series's thinner plots";[188] andIGN's Chris Tilly, who rated the film 7.2 out of 10, consideringSpectre "solid if unspectacular", and concluding that "the film falls frustratingly short of greatness."[189]
Critical appraisal was mixed in the United States. In a review forRogerEbert.com,Matt Zoller Seitz gaveSpectre 2.5 out of 4, describing it as inconsistent and unable to capitalise on its potential.[190]Kenneth Turan, reviewing the film forLos Angeles Times, concluded thatSpectre "comes off as exhausted and uninspired".[191]Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times criticised the film as having "nothing surprising" and sacrificing its originality for the sake of box office returns.[192]Forbes's Scott Mendelson also heavily criticised the film, denouncingSpectre as "the worst 007 movie in 30 years".[193] Darren Franich ofEntertainment Weekly viewedSpectre as "an overreaction to our current blockbuster moment", aspiring "to be a serialized sequel" and proving "itself as a Saga". While noting that "[n]othing that happens inSpectre holds up to even minor logical scrutiny", he had "come not to burySpectre, but to weirdly praise it. Because the final act of the movie is so strange, so willfully obtuse, that it deserves extra attention."[194]Christopher Orr, writing inThe Atlantic, also criticised the film, saying thatSpectre "backslides on virtually every [aspect]".[195] Lawrence Toppman ofThe Charlotte Observer called Craig's performance "Bored, James Bored."[196] Alyssa Rosenberg, writing forThe Washington Post, stated that the film turned into "a disappointingly conventionalBond film."[197]
In a positive review published inRolling Stone,Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, describingSpectre as "party time for Bond fans, a fierce, funny, gorgeously produced valentine to the longest-running franchise in movies".[198]Mick LaSalle, writing for theSan Francisco Chronicle, raved that "One of the great satisfactions ofSpectre is that, in addition to all the stirring action, and all the timely references to a secret organisation out to steal everyone's personal information, we get to believe in Bond as a person."[199] Stephen Whitty fromThe New York Daily News, who awarded the film four of five stars, stated that "Craig is cruelly efficient. Dave Bautista makes a good, Oddjob-like assassin. And while Lea Seydoux doesn't leave a huge impression as this film's 'Bond girl', perhaps it's because we've already met—far too briefly—the hypnotic Monica Bellucci, as the first real 'Bond woman' sinceDiana Rigg."[200]Chicago Sun-Times film reviewerRichard Roeper, who gave the film three stars out of four, considered the film "solidly in the middle of the all-time rankings, which means it's still a slick, beautifully photographed, action-packed, international thriller with a number of wonderfully, ludicrously entertaining set pieces, a sprinkling of dry wit, myriad gorgeous women and a classic psycho-villain who is clearly out of his mind but seems to like it that way."[201]Michael Phillips, reviewing for theChicago Tribune, stated, "For all its workmanlike devotion to out-of-control helicopters,Spectre works best when everyone's on the ground, doing his or her job, driving expensive fast cars heedlessly, detonating the occasional wisecrack, enjoying themselves and their beautiful clothes."[202]Variety film critic Guy Lodge complained in his review that "What's missing is the unexpected emotional urgency ofSkyfall, as the film sustains its predecessor's nostalgia kick with a less sentimental bent."[203]
^The production budget forSpectre has been debated. Estimates range from $245–250[6][7][8][9][10] to as high as $300–350 million.[11][12][13] The $350 million figure also incorporates the $100 million marketing budget.[13] $21.5 million was spent on television advertisements and a further $100 million was spent on promotion and advertising.[8]
^Purvis and Wade were credited for the screenplay ofQuantum of Solace, as they wrote the original draft of the film. However, the final script was written byPaul Haggis, with several uncredited co-writers.[43]
^"@007".007 Official Twitter Account. 24 February 2015.Archived from the original on 20 February 2016. Retrieved27 February 2015.
^"Sam Mendes on Spectre".The Official James Bond 007 Website. 26 February 2015. Archived fromthe original on 27 September 2017. Retrieved27 February 2015.
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