IN AND AROUND BOND

The people associated with making Bond are as interesting as the character himself. For instance, Harry Saltzmann, one
of the producers, a Canadian took American citizenship and was a high ranking intelligence officer in the US army [1].
Perhaps that is the source of the passion for a spy film like James Bond. Ian Fleming the creator of James Bond character
is also a naval officer. That probably explains why the two hit off and James Bond, the movie avatar was born. After them
Barbara Broccoli and her half brother Michael Wilson managed the Bond production with steadfast eye to detail. In 1970s
when Broccoli was in heavy debt, Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM studios) bought 50% stake in the Bond franchise. Barbara
and MGM had several disagreements on the creative treatment of Bond but the franchise stayed on course. Since all
Bond books have already been filmed, the character today is sketched out based on fears and tribulations of the day – in
Skyfall, a rogue spy from MI6 shakes up the establishment with IT wizardry, in Spectre the worry of the day was the State
stalking or prying on personal data.

Then there are distributors besides the producers. Sony pictures contract with the producers is expiring. In race for future
contracts are 2 other players, Warner brothers and 20th century Fox. Therefore there can be legal complications if the
transition is not managed well. Also if there is a change in the marketing team due to change in distribution, that could
impact the communication and promotion of the movie. Information available currently suggests that Sony is probably
earning less than what they should from an attractive franchise like James Bond because they are paying heavy
production and marketing costs from their side [2]. If that indeed is the case, why should they revisit a franchise that gives
them lots of accolades and very little money? The same question will probably be on top-of-mind for all the other studios.

Not any less interesting is Bond’s romance with brands. This dates back to the original Fleming novels in which brands
like Aston Martin make appearance. 17 brands make their appearance in “Spectre” at different points in the film. Besides
making Bond elite there are some important practical reasons for why endorsements are important. Brand endorsements
help in meeting some of the big budgets needed for making Bond movies. Audience is simply not paying up enough to
make the movie viable. At a reported production cost of quarter of a billion dollars and a similar amount for marketing the
film, sans product placement there is no way to cover up the expenses. Product placement is a 10 billion dollar industry
worldwide. It is an important source of revenue for brands. Product placement also gives opportunity for cross branding.
Endorsing brands are allowed to make “007” versions of their brand for sale. However there is always the flip side.
Research shows that viewers might dislike brands that make themselves conspicuous in movie placements. In fact some
customers even opine that Bond has become a loop on which they just hang brands. As if to rub it in, some brands are
specifically mentioned by name. The movie makers feel, Bond franchise helps the eponymous hero as well as the brands
that endorse him. In some cases brands reportedly paid as much as a third of the film’s production cost for endorsement.
They think it is worth it because association with Bond gives them global recognition. Often the brands Bond casually
picks up in movies end up as best sellers after movie release and that too at a higher price. The other interesting aspect is
Bond always uses premium brands. Brands that are not considered premium are rejected. Sometimes other actors from
the movie endorse the non-premium brands, but not Bond. [see exhibit 1 for details]

More people today are aware of the brand Bond than ever in the past. This is being assisted by the range of media
available today (youtube, mobile, laptop etc) besides TV. Besides there is dubbing into several languages which is helping
even greater consumption of the franchise. In 1977 Spy who loved me was the first Bond movie to be dubbed into 3
Indian languages Hindi, Tamil and Telugu probably because the highest number of films in India are shot in these 3
languages. The latest film Spectre was also dubbed into these 3 languages. Bond films will probably be dubbed into other
languages as well in future. There are of course difficulties. Dubbing into some Indian languages has been banned to
protect the local film industry. Dubbed films are also screened carefully by censors for adult and violent content. Bond
being what he is, the films are usually subject to cuts. Strangely, if there are cuts in movies the “A” certificate that a movie
gets increases its salability in India (because users see an “A” certificate as a cue to salacious content). Producers
therefore might actually volunteer cuts. The past 2 decades or more Bond has been dubbed into many languages
globally. Dubbing stars become celebrities themselves in their countries. In several American cities the Spanish and
English versions of the movie opened simultaneously to audience.

Bond movies elicit mixed reviews from critics. Critics often do not take kindly to commercial films. Commercial success
usually leaves critics cold. Surprisingly, some critics seem to enjoy the Bond genre [refer Exhibit 2]. See some views
below

Reviews of Goldfinger
“So maybe his careful scriptwriters have played down that overly amorous side, delicately displacing dolls with automation
and beautiful bodies with electronic brains…… Anyhow, what they give us in Goldfinger is an excess of science-fiction
fun, a mess of mechanical melodrama, and a minimum of bedroom farce. … Of course, the high point of the picture is the
climactic raid on Fort Knox with the intent of blowing it up and contaminating its hoard of gold with a nuclear bomb. It is
spinningly staged and enacted, drenched in cliff-hanging suspense. But somehow, by the time it gets to this point—well,
we've had Mr. Bond” (MOVIE REVIEW – GOLDFINGER, By Bosley Crowther, New York Times, Published: December 22,
1964) [3].
“For once the reviewer can lay his hand on his heart and recommend it to both cultists and non-cultists of James Bond as
two hours of outrageously deliberate and wittily absurd... what’s the word? Entertainment. And unlike the old Chicago
melodramas no one dares to moralise in the world of 007. Their standard of living is too high for that”. (Goldfinger: original
1964 Telegraph review, By Eric Shorter, Telegraph, 3:00PM GMT 31 Dec 2014) [4].

Goldfinger (1964) remains not just my favourite Bond movie, but the standard by which all other Bond movies must be
judged. What I like most about Goldfinger: it makes me laugh… the disposable comedy gangsters, the montage of troops
pretending to be gassed and collapsing unconvincingly…. Best of all is Bond's uselessness. He manages to get both
Masterson sisters killed and spends most of the film quaffing Dom Perignon…..” (“My favourite Bond film: Goldfinger”,
Anne Billson, Guardian, Tuesday 2 October 2012 17.02 BST) [5]

Reviews of Skyfall
“Daniel Craig remains Bond incarnate in the new James Bond film Skyfall which is often dazzling and always audacious.
“We don’t go in for exploding pens any more,” quips a fashionably tousled Q (Ben Whishaw). Nor do audiences, and it's
no wonder Skyfall was a stratospheric hit” (by Robbie Collin, Chief Film Critic, “Skyfall, James Bond, review”,
Telegraph, 9:03AM GMT 24 Dec 2014) [6]

“Instead he (the director) honors the contract that the Bond series made with its fans long ago and delivers the customary
chases, pretty women and silky villainy along with the little and big bangs. As Bond sprints from peril to pleasure, Mr.
Craig and the other players turn out to be the most spectacular of Mr. Mendes’s special effects”.
(“What a Man! What a Suit!”, MANOHLA DARGIS, New York Times, NOV. 7, 2012) [7].

007 faces a terrifying blond-off with Javier Bardem, in a supremely enjoyable 50th anniversary outing. Skyfall is a hugely
enjoyable action spectacular, but more grounded and cogent than the previous and disappointing outing…. It finds the
right position on the spectrum between extravagance and realism… Despite the title, he (Bond) is a hero who just keeps
on defying gravity. (Peter Bradshaw, “Skyfall –review”. The Guardian, Thursday 25 October 2012 14.34 BST) [8].

Spectators view on Bond movies are presented in Exhibits 3, 4, 5. Movie halls are charging 10 pounds more than the
normal ticket price in some locations in UK. Anyone watching Daniel Craig’s fourth turn as 007 at Odeon’s Leicester
Square branch in London can expect to pay £20 in the evening or weekend compared to £12.50 to see Suffragette. If they
go in the morning or early afternoon on a weekday, they will pay £18 for Bond compared to £8 for Suffragette. Viewers in
Yorkshire and Bristol are being charged an extra £2, while in Birmingham there is a £1 surcharge. This brings Birmingham
prices to £8.95 – meaning Londoners are paying double what cinemagoers elsewhere are charged [9]. Even in the United
States thanks to IMAX screens and 3D viewing several franchises like Starwars, James Bond and Mission Impossible
could charge a higher ticket price than normal. There are similar reports from India. Skyfall was shown on 900 screens
across India from 1 November (2012) and theatre chains have increased ticket prices by nearly 20%, said executives
at Cinemax India, Big Cinemas, PVR Cinemas and Inox Ltd [10]. Incidentally, “Skyfall” was the 13th highest grossing film
in history, the most successful Bond film ever, and the first in the series to gross more than $1 billion. Spectre has to earn
650 million dollars to break even [11]. As of January 2016 it already reached 865 million [12]. In 2015, Spectre made Rs
40 crores in India [13]. Compared to this a block buster Hindi hit makes upwards of 200 crores. [see exhibit 6, 7, 8, 9 for
details].

Other big box office hits

i) Bourne identity series – A man called Bourne forgets who he is. He was a deadly secret agent in the past. He
loses his memory. Both the establishment and the villain want to kill him. He is an embarrassment for both. He
checkmates both. A successful thriller that is more serious than Bond.
ii) Die Hard series – Bruce Willis the protagonist is an aging cop. He has lots of personal problems. A marriage
that hangs by a slender thread, an expense account that is ever bulging and a bank balance that is fast
dwindling. He beats his personal and professional blues to kill the villain, a rogue security expert. Several
shades in recent Bond resemble Die Hard protagonist (for instance the hero getting beaten black and blue by
the bad guys, his grappling with several personal problems etc.)
iii) Mission Impossible series – a very successful series that is more contemporary on gadgetry than any other
action movie. It virtually showcases the capabilities of IT and communication technology. Far more serious than
Bond but as engaging if not more.
iv) Godfather – a 1970s mafia saga in three parts, which traces the life of Don Corleone and his descendants. A
cult movie in its time that continues to ring a bell.
Question
Based on Aaker’s 10 take a view on whether Bond’s brand equity has i) increased ii) fallen iii) neither
Exhibit 1 - Brand exposure for latest Bond movies (Source: Concave Brand Tracking)

Exhibit 2 – Critics’ ratings of Bond movies on Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Year Critic Rating

Spectre 2015 64%

Skyffall 2012 93%

Latest 4
Quantum of Solace 2008 65%

Casino Royale 2006 95%

Thunderball 1965 86%

Goldfinger 1964 96%

From Russia With 1963 96% Oldest 4
Love

Dr. No 1962 96%

Exhibit 3 - Demographic Indicators (Source: IMDb)

Skyfall Goldfinger
Demographic
Indicator Votes Weighted Average Votes Weighted Average

Males 365688 7.7 101756 7.8

Females 61810 7.8 9123 7.4

Aged under 18 4098 8.3 608 8.2

Males under 18 3303 8.3 546 8.2

Females under 18 753 8.1 54 7.4

Aged 18-29 218349 7.9 41226 7.8

Males Aged 18-29 182472 7.9 37472 7.8

Females Aged 18-29 33687 7.8 3436 7.3

Aged 30-44 149428 7.6 49434 7.7

Males Aged 30-44 129257 7.5 45318 7.7

Females Aged 30-44 18015 7.6 3615 7.3

Aged 45+ 33140 7.7 17315 7.8

Males Aged 45+ 27846 7.7 15368 7.8

Females Aged 45+ 4789 7.9 1750 7.6

IMDb staff 52 7.6 20 7.7

Top 1000 voters 779 7.3 802 7.7

US users 69119 8 31184 8

Non-US users 247052 7.6 65986 7.6

IMDb users 505595 7.8 136321 7.8

 Exhibit 4 - Top 30 rated espionage movies on IMDb

Ranking Movie Year of User Rating Ranking Movie Year of User Rating
Release on IMDb Release on IMDb

1 The Departed 2006 8.5 16 The Lady Vanishes 1938 8.0

2 Cat City 1986 8.4 17 Ninja Scroll 1993 7.9

3 North By Northwest 1959 8.4 18 Sword Of The Stranger 2007 7.8

4 The Third Man 1949 8.3 19 The Day Of The Jackal 1973 7.8

5 To Be Or Not To Be 1942 8.2 20 The 39 Steps 1935 7.8

6 The Army Of Shadows 1969 8.2 21 Black Book 2006 7.8

7 Baby 2015 8.2 22 Pickup On The South Street 1953 7.8

8 The Maltese Falcon 1941 8.2 23 Soldier Of Orange 1977 7.8

9 Ivan’s Childhood 1962 8.1 24 Captain America: The Winter 2014 7.8
Soldier

10 Barry Lyndon 1975 8.1 25 Kinsman: The Secret Service 2014 7.8

11 The Bourne Ultimatum 2007 8.1 26 Skyfall 2012 7.8

12 Notorious 1946 8.1 27 The Bourne Supremacy 2004 7.8

13 Duck Soup 1933 8.0 28 Goldfinger 1964 7.8

14 Ghost In The Shell 1995 8.0 29 The Scarlet Empress 1934 7.7

15 Casino Royale 2006 8.0 30 Enter The Dragon 1973 7.7

Exhibit 5 - Search terms frequency on Google from 2004-2016

Source: Google Trends

James Bond, Bourne, Die hard, Mission Impossible, Godfather

 Exhibit 6 - Competitor landscape-1 (Source : IMDb)

Movie Title Year of Release Box Office Rating

Collections
(domestic)

North by Northwest 1959 US$ 1,32,75,000 8.4

From Russia With Love 1963 US$ 2,47,96,765 7.5

Goldfinger 1964 US$ 5,10,81,062 7.8

Alphaville 1965 US$ 47,696 7.2

Thunderball 1965 US$ 6,35,95,658 7.0

Where Eagles Dare 1968 US$ 71,00,000 7.7

The Army of Shadows 1969 US$ 8,35,982 8.2

Exhibit 7 - Competitor landscape-2

Movie Title Year of Release Box Office Rating

Collections
(worldwide)
Mission Impossible - Ghost 2011 US$ 69,47,13,380 7.4
Protocol

Skyfall 2012 US$ 1,10,85,61,013 7.8

The Bourne Legacy 2012 US$ 27,61,44,750 6.7

Zero Dark Thirty 2012 US$ 13,28,20,716 7.4

A Good Day to Die Hard 2013 US$ 30,46,54,182 5.3

Captain America : The Winter 2014 US$ 71,44,21,503 7.8
Soldier
 Spectre 2015 US$ 88,05,02,111 6.9

Exhibit 8 - Box Office History of James Bond franchise

Production Domestic Domestic Worldwide

Budget Opening Box Office Box Office

Release Date Movie

Year
approxima Weekend
ted to
closest
May 8, 1963 Dr. No $1,000,000 $16,067,035 $59,567,035
1963

From Russia With

Apr 8, 1964 $2,000,000 $24,800,000 $78,900,000
Love
1964
Dec 22, 1964 Goldfinger $3,000,000 $51,100,000 $124,900,000
1964
Dec 29, 1965 Thunderball $9,000,000 $63,600,000 $141,200,000
1965

You Only Live

Jun 13, 1967 $9,500,000 $43,100,000 $111,600,000
Twice
1967

On Her Majesty's
Dec 18, 1969 $8,000,000 $22,800,000 $82,000,000
Secret Service
1969
 Diamonds Are
Dec 17, 1971 $7,200,000 $43,800,000 $116,000,000
Forever
1971
Jun 27, 1973 Live and Let Die $7,000,000 $35,400,000 $161,800,000
1973

The Man with

Dec 20, 1974 $7,000,000 $21,000,000 $97,600,000
the Golden Gun
1974

The Spy Who

Jul 13, 1977 $14,000,000 $1,347,927 $46,800,000 $185,400,000
Loved Me
1977
Jun 29, 1979 Moonraker $31,000,000 $7,108,344 $70,300,000 $210,300,000
1979

For Your Eyes

Jun 26, 1981 $28,000,000 $6,834,967 $54,800,000 $195,300,000
Only
1981
Jun 10, 1983 Octopussy $27,500,000 $8,902,564 $62,440,579 $182,040,579
1983

Never Say Never

Oct 7, 1983 $36,000,000 $10,958,157 $55,432,841 $159,932,841
Again
1983
May 24, 1985 A View to a Kill $30,000,000 $13,294,435 $49,667,091 $151,967,091
1985

The Living
Jul 31, 1987 $40,000,000 $11,051,284 $50,096,813 $190,111,813
Daylights
1987
 Jul 14, 1989 Licence to Kill $42,000,000 $8,774,776 $33,197,509 $154,697,509
1989
Nov 17, 1995 Goldeneye $60,000,000 $26,205,007 $105,978,900 $355,978,900
1996

Tomorrow Never
Dec 19, 1997 $110,000,000 $25,143,007 $125,279,326 $339,479,326
Dies
1998

The World is Not

Nov 19, 1999 $135,000,000 $35,519,007 $126,930,660 $361,730,660
Enough
2000

Nov 22, 2002 Die Another Day $142,000,000 $47,072,040 $160,932,247 $431,932,247

2003
Nov 17, 2006 Casino Royale $102,000,000 $40,833,156 $167,220,102 $594,275,385
2007

Quantum of
Nov 14, 2008 $230,000,000 $67,528,882 $169,368,427 $591,692,078
Solace
2009
Nov 8, 2012 Skyfall $200,000,000 $88,364,714 $304,360,277 $1,110,526,981
2013
Nov 6, 2015 Spectre $300,000,000 $70,403,148 $200,074,175 $879,620,923
2016
Totals $1,581,200,000 $2,104,545,982 $7,068,553,368

Averages $63,248,000 $29,333,838 $84,181,839 $282,742,135

Exhibit 9 - Inflation adjusted Box Office collections & Tickets sold (Source: Box Office Mojo)

Movie Tickets sold Domestic Box-Office Inflation adjusted

(U.S. - (US $) Unadjusted Domestic BO
Canada) collection -2015
(‘000)
Dr. No NA US$ 1,60,67,035.00 US$ 126097.00

From Russia With Love NA US$ 2,48,00,000.00 US$ 192092.00

Goldfinger 66300000 US$ 5,11,00,000.00 US$ 390695.00

Thunderball 74800000 US$ 6,36,00,000.00 US$ 478548.00

You Only Live Twice 35904000 US$ 4,31,00,000.00 US$ 305851.00

On Her Majesty's Secret Service 16038000 US$ 2,28,00,000.00 US$ 147247.00

Diamonds Are Forever 26557300 US$ 4,38,00,000.00 US$ 256329.00

Live and Let Die 19987500 US$ 3,54,00,000.00 US$ 188973.00

The Man with the Golden Gun NA US$ 2,10,00,000.00 US$ 100960.00

The Spy Who Loved Me NA US$ 4,68,00,000.00 US$ 183042.00

Moonraker 28011200 US$ 7,03,00,000.00 US$ 229508.00

For Your Eyes Only NA US$ 5,48,00,000.00 US$ 142888.00

Octopussy 21553500 US$ 6,24,40,579.00 US$ 148587.00

Never Say Never Again NA US$ 5,54,32,841.00 US$ 131910.00

A View to a Kill NA US$ 4,96,67,091.00 US$ 109404.00

The Living Daylights NA US$ 5,00,96,813.00 US$ 104521.00

Licence to Kill 8732200 US$ 3,31,97,509.00 US$ 64453.00

Goldeneye 24403900 US$ 10,59,78,900.00 US$ 164820.00

Tomorrow Never Dies 26911200 US$ 12,52,79,326.00 US$ 185004.00

The World is Not Enough 24853800 US$ 12,69,30,660.00 US$ 180579.00

Die Another Day 27584000 US$ 16,09,32,247.00 US$ 212026.00

Casino Royale 25428700 US$ 16,72,20,102.00 US$ 196597.00

Quantum of Solace 23449600 US$ 16,93,68,427.00 US$ 186449.00

Skyfall 37842000 US$ 30,43,60,277.00 US$ 314200.00

References
1. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2012/09/harry-saltzman-bond-secret-spy-life
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/business/media/a-family-team-looks-for-james-bonds-next-assignment.html
3. http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF173DE464BC4A51DFB467838F679EDE
4. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/10610134/Goldfinger-original-1964-Telegraph-review.html
5. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/02/my-favourite-bond-film-goldfinger
6. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/jamesbond/9628354/Skyfall-James-Bond-review.html
7. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/movies/skyfall-with-daniel-craig-as-james-bond.html?_r=0
8. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/25/skyfall-review
9. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3297630/The-Bond-premium-Cinemas-charge-10-just-new-007-
blockbuster-Spectre.html
10. http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/hpvFtBNrbQjrl8A3XonX1N/Skyfall-ticket-prices-hiked-by-20.html
11. http://variety.com/2015/film/box-office/spectre-box-office-1201633311/
12. http://www.statista.com/statistics/323873/james-bond-films-production-costs-box-office-revenue/
13. http://businessworld.in/article/2015-Hollywood-Releases-Rake-In-Big-Moolah-In-India/12-12-2015-89310/