Guess Which Bond Movies Did Best?
Look at what “Goldfinger” (’64) and “Thunderball” (’65) made when you adjust for inflation — $550 and $600 million domestic, which is way above the grosses of any Bond films since. “From Russia With Love” (’63) did better than all the Roger Moore Bonds except for “The Spy Who Loved Me,” and roughly as well as all the Brosnans and two out of three Craigs (“Skyfall” being the bang exception). But even “Skyfall” is dwarfed by “Goldfinger/Thunderball,” and is evenly matched by “You Only Live Twice.” Even little, new-to-the-marketplace “Dr. No” (’62) — the first 007 starring a relatively unknown Sean Connery — took in $150 million by 2015 standards. The lowest earners of all were the two Daltons — “The Living Daylights” and “License to Kill.”
