James Bond: No Time To Die is set to have the biggest cinema opening in the UK since 2019 ahead of its release on Thursday, September 30th.
The latest James Bond film is the 25th in the series and will be Daniel Craig's final outing in the role.
Cinema ticket sales have boomed according to bosses at Odeon and Vue, who have already sold more than 175,000 and 270,000 tickets respectively across the nation.
According to Odeon, 40 per cent of their tickets have been bought by people who are returning to the cinema for the first time since they re-opened following pandemic closures.
Carol Welch, managing director of the Odeon Cinemas Group UK and Ireland said: “We are extremely excited that Bond is finally returning to the big screen, another significant milestone as our industry continues to demonstrate resilience in its recovery.
“The popularity of this film franchise has seen even those previously reluctant to return to the cinema book their tickets.
It follows the world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, September 28th which was attended by members of the royal family.
A spokesperson for Vue said: “We have sold over 270,000 tickets in pre-sales.
“Based on our sales, we expect No Time To Die to be the biggest film in the UK and Ireland since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker back in December 2019.”
The film is expected to be the franchise's highest grossing film, especially as it is Daniel Craig's final Bond film after 15 years in the role.
Skyfall, released in 2012, took £125.9 million at the UK box office and is the UK’s third highest grossing film since records began.
The top four highest grossing 007 films in the UK all feature Craig in the lead role.
The biggest grossing film in the UK to date is Peter Rabbit 2, and it is expected that No Time To Die will smash these record sales.
James Bond: No Time To Die will be released in UK cinemas on Thursday, September 30th, with a number of midnight showings available.
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