King's Lynn Majestic cinema predicts busy time for new Bond film
Bond fans are anticipating Daniel Craig’s final outing as the legendary MI6 agent James Bond in No Time To Die which opens at The Majestic cinema in Lynn on September 30.
Described as a Bond boost, a survey has shown the character, originated by Ian Fleming in his series of spy novels, is still as popular as ever in bringing viewers to the big screen.
Having been delayed twice since its original release date in November 2020, No Time to Die will give cinemas a welcome shot in the arm after box office takings plummeted by 76 per cent last year.
The cinema industry are hopeful that the movie will be the spark that brings film fans back and entertainment firm and online gaming site, PartyCasino are predicting positive results.
Research carried out by the site found that 83 per cent of movie-goers plan to watch the new Bond film after disappointing delays.
Certainly The Majestic staff in Lynn are predicting a busy time when the film is released.
Supervisor Lucy Barnes said: "We are advising people to pre book and expecting it to be extremely busy.
"We are showing it on three out of our four screens. People are already pre booking specific seats so it's getting busy.
"The trailer looks really good and this is the big film of the year people have been waiting on."
Positive news comes after a torrid year for cinema companies, with the total UK and Ireland box office for 2020 falling to £323m, which was 76 per cent down on 2019.
Only 441 movies were released in 2020, less than half of the previous year, as the major chains either shut down completely such as Cineworld or cut, drastically, their opening times like the Odeon and Vue.
But PartyCasino’s analysis found that nearly half of fans will be prompted to make their first visit to a cinema since they were reopened nationally by the return to the silver screen of James Bond. The iconic secret agent was also voted the best movie secret agent in history as part of PartyCasino’s research.
The mothballing of Cineworld’s 128 UK venues last year was caused directly by the initial delay of No Time to Die.
The rescheduling of the film’s release date also started a chain reaction across the movie world, with other titles including Dune, Wonder Woman and Black Widow following suit and delaying release dates.
Younger movie lovers are the most excited to see No Time to Die, with more than three quartersof 18-24 year olds saying they will definitely watch it. However, they are also the least likely to venture out to the cinema to do so, with 72 per cent planning to watch it at home or on demand.
Meanwhile, viewers aged 35-44 and 45-54 are most likely to watch on the big screen and it appears that men have been more cautious about visiting the cinema over the last year. More than half of men state that the Bond movie will be their first trip back to the cinema, compared with 42 per cent of women.
Londoners have been the most eager to get back to the movie theatre, with more than three in five reporting that they have already been to see a film.
The popularity of the iconic James Bond character has played a big part in bringing people back to the cinemas.
PartyCasino’s research found that Bond, who will be played by Daniel Craig for the final time in No Time to Die, was overwhelmingly the nation’s favourite secret agent.
More than half named the suave MI6 operative at the top of their list. Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne was second followed by The Impossible Mission’s Ethan Hunt played by Tom Cruise.
PartyCasino marketing manager, David Winter, said: “James Bond clearly still has a massive place in the hearts of the British public, his magnetism, suaveness, witty one-liners and fearless stunts still draw the crowds they did decades ago.
“His return this month can only be a good thing for the UK cinema industry which, like most entertainment sectors, has been hit hard in the last year. James Bond always saves the day. Here’s hoping he can save our cinemas too.”
