There are all sorts of franchises that have latched onto the public and become permanent fixtures of pop culture and cinema, but few series have been able to survive for as long as James Bond. The character has been popular for decades and the passing of the torch from one actor to the next has even become a touching way to honor new talent. The actors in the James Bond role may periodically change, but the films remain a comforting and exciting take on the spy genre.
James Bond movies, more than many other comparable action films, are time capsules of their era and it’s why the films are still so celebrated & have a devoted audience. James Bond isn’t going anywhere and with the release of his upcoming film, No Time to Die, imminent, there’s never been a better time to revisit the previous movies and how well they’ve done at the box office.
15 Skyfall Is A Strong Return For Bond ($1.111 Billion)
Skyfall is one of the more recent James Bond films and it’s been heralded as one of Daniel Craig’s best contributions to the franchise. The film falls back on many classic ideas and characters from the series, but reinvents them in surprising ways. The addition of a burnt out Bond and incredible action set pieces help Skyfall stand out and account for its staggering worldwide box office total of over one billion dollars.
14 Spectre Continues Daniel Craig's Saga ($879.6 Million)
The fourth outing from Daniel Craig's Bond sends the famous secret agent to Rome & Mexico City and marks his major confrontation with the evil organization, SPECTRE. Sam Mendes directs a Bond film that has real style and the audiences responded kindly with a box office total of nearly $880 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
13 Casino Royale Turned The Franchise Around ($594.4 Million)
Casino Royale marks the Bond franchise's glorious reboot with Daniel Craig as the new face of the series. The film takes Bond back to his roots and explores not only a more aggressive side of the character, but the psychological underpinnings of the character. It’s still seen as one of the best & most important films in the franchise and Box Office Mojo reports that it nearly made $595 million worldwide.
12 Quantum Of Solace Pushes Bond To Complex Places ($591.7 Million)
Quantum of Solace continues on the goodwill that Craig’s Casino Royale establishes and the two are very much companion pieces. Quantum of Solace suffers in some ways as a result and focuses a little too much on the bigger picture than its story at the moment. The film still impressed and performed nearly as well as its predecessor, bringing in over $591 million.
11 Die Another Day Is An Exciting Effort For Brosnan's Bond ($431.9 Million)
Die Another Day is an interesting anomaly for Pierce Brosnan’s run of James Bond films. It features Bond being turned into a prisoner in North Korea and needing to be rescued. It also focuses a ton of Halle Berry’s Jinx, who is treated as an equal to the secret agent. Box Office Mojo reports that the Bond film brought in nearly $432 million worldwide.
10 The World Is Not Enough Is The End Of Brosnan's Bond Run ($361.7 Million)
The World is Not Enough is pretty much the nadir of Brosnan’s bond films and has to do with a messy story that involves nuclear missiles and the world’s oil supply. It feels like the most soulless & hip of Brosnan’s contributions, and Denise Richards’ Dr. Christmas Jones has to be one of the most ridiculous names in the franchise. Even still, the film brought in $361.7 million, but it led to a new changing of the guard.
9 GoldenEye Is Pierce Brosnan's Debut As Bond ($356.4 Million)
GoldenEye is seen as one of the best modern James Bond movies and there’s a reason that the film’s director, Martin Campbell, was recruited to return for Casino Royale. The film marks Pierce Brosnan’s first attempt at the iconic character and he does a memorable job as 007 must deal with double agents and nuclear war. GoldenEye made $356.4 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
8 Tomorrow Never Dies Takes A Very Modern Approach To Bond ($339.5 Million)
Tomorrow Never Dies is another Brosnan Bond effort and even though he gives a powerful performance, it still feels like one of the franchise’s more superfluous stories. It looks at conflict between America and China when a rich media mogul can’t get his TV station broadcast in the foreign country. The film doesn’t always connect, but its box office total of $339.5 million showed that audiences were still interested in more Bond.
7 Moonraker Launches Bond Into Space ($210.3 Million)
The James Bond films always fluctuate between grounding themselves and going in the opposite direction to instead embrace the ridiculous. Moonraker is the Bond film really just going for broke as it sends Bond up into outer space and has the over the top villain Jaws at his most ruthless. Moonraker took James Bond to new places and audiences responded with a box office total of over $210 million, reports Box Office Mojo.
6 For Your Eyes Only Pits Bond Against The Russians ($195.3 Million)
For Your Eyes Only isn't the most celebrated James Bond film, but it's another solid entry from Roger Moore that gets surprisingly aquatic for a James Bond movie. Bond becomes involved with Greek resistance fighters as he searches for a Russian communications device. It's not the most exciting Bond film, but it has some fun set pieces and Box Office Mojo reports that the Moore entry still made over $195 million.
5 The Living Daylights Brings In Timothy Dalton To The Signature Role ($191.2 Million)
The Living Daylights is a bit of an outlier in the Bond franchise for its introduction of Timothy Dalton as the MI6 agent. The Living Daylights throws a lot at Bond, including international assassins and corrupt arms dealer. It tries to push the Bond character to risky new places and the movie brought in $191.2 million, according to Box Office Mojo, which was a decent number for newcomer Dalton.
4 Octopussy Has Bond Investigating The Death Of Another Agent ($187.5 Million)
Octopussy is a very entertaining James Bond endeavor that sees the secret agent caught up in the murder mystery of agent 009. Bond's hunt for answers takes him to India & West Germany and it's one of Roger Moore's more engrossing Bond films. Box Office Mojo reports that Octopussy brought in $187.5 million and it was soon time for another swap with Bond’s actor.
3 The Spy Who Loved Me Explores Bond's Matters Of The Heart ($185.4 Million)
The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the zanier James Bond films, but that's exactly what makes it such an entertaining installment. Roger Moore's Bond goes on some particularly absurd adventures that put him in an underwater car and involves extreme skiing. It's a wild ride, but one that didn't work for all audiences. Yet its box office total of $185.4 million is still commendable.
2 Live And Let Die Has Roger Moore's Bond On The Run From Assassins ($161.8 Million)
Live and Let Die is a very important film in the James Bond series since it marks Roger Moore's first appearance in the role. The film gives Moore a plot that's worthy of him too, with Bond on the hunt for a killer who's murdered several agents and has his sights set on Bond. It's a more intimate and tense take on a Bond film, but Box Office Mojo reports that the worldwide box office was only $161.8 million.
1 Never Say Never Again Sees Connery's Bond On The Way Out ($160 Million)
Never Say Never Again explores interesting territory for the series and is even considered "unofficial" in some circles since it's not from Eon Productions (and is also lacking other trademark touches, like Bond's theme or the gun barrel opening credits). The film considers the idea that Bond is perhaps past his prime and too old for his secret agent gig, which is a story that plays into Sean Connery's age at the time of production. In spite of its controversy, Never Say Never Again was still able to bring in $160 million at the box office and stand out.