James Bond fans in Britain flocked to cinemas Thursday as the new 007 film finally hit big screens, 18 months later than planned but to a host of positive reviews.
Cinema chains have been selling tickets for weeks to No Time to Die, the latest superspy blockbuster which premiered in London Tuesday night and has since earned widespread critical acclaim.
It is set to give chains around the UK their biggest opening since 2019, with Vue cinemas selling more than 270,000 tickets and Odeon over 175,000 in advance.
The film, originally set for release early last year but repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic, is Daniel Craig's fifth and final outing in the role of the suave secret agent.
"It's better than good. It's magnificent," The Times newspaper's film critic Kevin Maher gushed, giving it a maximum five stars.
"Craig is a towering charismatic presence from opening frame to closing shot, and he bows out in terrific, soulful, style."
Peter Bradshaw, of The Guardian, also lavished five stars on the film, arguing its duration of nearly three hours – unusually long for the franchise – is justified.
"Craig's final film as the diva of British intelligence is an epic barnstormer," he wrote.
"You can see the pleasure everyone takes in this gigantic piece of ridiculously watchable entertainment which feels like half its actual running time."
However, the praise was not universal and others disagreed about its length of two hours and 43 minutes.
John Nugent, writing in Empire magazine, criticised the middle of the movie for getting "bogged down by plotting" and that it "doesn't justify that heaving runtime".
'Enduring popularity'
Impatient movie-goers, who have been waiting since 2015's Spectre for the 25th instalment in the 007 franchise, were able to watch the new film from as early as 8 am (0700 GMT) Thursday.
Cineworld, which closed the doors to its 127 UK cinemas when the film was last year delayed again until 2021, said it had sold out a number of upcoming screenings.
Meanwhile Odeon noted around 40 per cent of tickets were going to patrons who are returning to the cinema for the first time since they reopened following pandemic closures.
More than a third of its tickets sold to the film have been to customers aged over 46, it added.
From left, Lashana Lynch, Daniel Craig (centre), Lea Seydoux and US film director Cary Joji Fukunaga pose on the red carpet after arriving to attend the World Premiere of the James Bond 007 film ‘No Time to Die’."The film has seen the strongest level of demand from an older audience for over 18 months, showing the enduring popularity of everyone's favourite spy," an Odeon statement said.
No Time to Die is part of a backlog of major productions held back by distributors during the pandemic, hitting cinemas hard, and forcing some new films to be streamed.
It is hoped the movie will kickstart new releases alongside a sustained return of audiences.
At Tuesday's star-studded premiere at London's historic Royal Albert Hall, Craig said he was "relieved" the film had finally arrived on the big screen.
"We make Bond movies for the cinema," he told Sky News from the red carpet.