One of the many No Time to Die posters

Sometime soon, No Time to Die is expected will pass F9: The Fast Saga as the No. 1 Hollywood box office movie of 2021. Naturally, the blog has questions.

What do you mean "Hollywood" movie?

From the very beginning, Bond movies were financed by Hollywood studios. United Artists secured a loan from BANK OF AMERICA (a U.S. company) that supplied most of the money. It has never changed since.

Wait, what?

Yes, even though the movies were made in the U.K., the U.S. supplied the money. Without the likes of Arthur Krim, Robert Benjamin and David V. Picker at United Artists, Bond would never have gotten off the ground.

But I thought Eon did everything!

That's a comforting myth that many Bond fans have adopted. In reality, Eon plays with others' money.

OK, but doesn't product placement finance *everything*?

No. That's another comforting myth among Bond fans.

What are you saying?

REPEAT: James Bond's ownership is blurred. Creatively, it is controlled by Danjaq/Eon while Bond's home studio is MGM. It's an uneasy partnership. MGM can't go forward without Danjaq/Eon while Danjaq/Eon can't launch a Bond movie without MGM.

What are you trying to say?

MGM and Danjaq/MGM are in an uneasy partnership. MGM has agreed to be acquired by Amazon. Maybe that will create new opportunities.

Still?

Until Amazon gets full control of MGM (that deal still is subject to regulatory review), we don't really know. No Time to Die's crown as 2021 box office champion may be short-lived.