Daniel Craig on the red carpetImage via Ian West/PA Images/INSTARimages
Of all the James Bond movies that were recently launched on Netflix domestically, audiences are choosing to watch one of the worst. The blockbuster franchise is set to return, but since that won’t happen for at least a few more years, fans have little choice but to revisit past installments. Unsurprisingly, two movies from the Daniel Craig era led the field this week, but they’re probably not the ones you’d expect. Craig had a rather tumultuous run as the iconic British spy, whom he played for 15 years, from 2006 to 2021. He delivered outright masterpieces such as Casino Royale and Skyfall — both films are considered among the best 007 hits of all time — but also found himself struggling to live up to expectations with Quantum of Solace and Spectre.
Following the release of the James Bond franchise on Netflix, audiences immediately revisited Craig’s final film as Bond, No Time to Die. However, they also seem to be returning to Spectre. According to FlixPatrol, it was among the most-watched movies on the global Netflix charts this week, when the leaderboard was topped by the crime film The Rip, starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Spectre was released in 2015 and served as a direct follow-up to Skyfall, which remains the only James Bond film to make more than $1 billion at the global box office. Unlike that film, however, Spectre failed to garner positive reviews and was seen as too crowded for its own good. The movie also marked the first appearance of the iconic Bond villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the Craig era; he was played by the two-time Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz.
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Produced on a reported budget of $300 million, Spectre grossed $880 million at the global box office. The movie was directed by Sam Mendes, who was brought back after Skyfall’s success. However, Spectre hardly fared as well with critics as that film did. It holds a 63% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which, interestingly, is the lowest of the Craig era. Craig has since secured a new franchise for himself with Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out mystery movies. Meanwhile, Mendes is hard at work on his ambitious four-part biopic of The Beatles, which will be released in theaters in 2028. The Bond series is being rebooted by director Denis Villeneuve and writer Steven Knight, with Oscar nominee Jacob Elordi among the many names rumored to be circling the iconic role. You can watch the entire James Bond franchise on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
November 6, 2015
Runtime
148 minutes
Writers
Jez Butterworth, John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
