2021 was always going to be a difficult year for the global box office, though we have seen it rebound to some extent in recent months. China has been a big help for some blockbusters, but with Marvel Studios pushed out of the Middle Kingdom (partly due to past comments from Simu Liu and Chloé Zhao), neither Shang-Chi nor Eternals could increase their takings by releasing in that country.
That's left the door open for other blockbusters to steal the show, and while F9: The Fast Saga still holds the title for the year's highest-grossing movie worldwide, No Time to Die has topped it internationally. With $558. 2 million at the international box office and over $150 million in North America, Daniel Craig's final appearance as James Bond has grossed $708.6 million.
A result like that is nothing short of jaw-dropping in this pandemic era, and proof, perhaps, that MGM and Universal Pictures made the right decision with those seemingly endless release date delays.
F9 remains the global king with $721 million, and with No Time to Die now available on PVOD platforms, it's hard to say whether it can earn enough to win the year at the worldwide box office. Of course, 2021 isn't over yet, and there are those who believe Spider-Man: No Way Home is the only blockbuster that stands a chance of hitting the $1 billion mark by the time all is said and done.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage had a good weekend by becoming only the second movie of 2021 to pass $200 million at the domestic box office (the other is Shang-Chi). Now, it's grossed $441.5 million worldwide, which is bound to leave Sony confident in this franchise's future potential.