Bonds Bests Batman Where it Counts
James Bond and Batman may rival one another for who has the best gadgets, but the British espionage agent bests the Caped Crusader where it really counts. In the current issue of Condé Nast Portfolio, on sale today, an article calculates how much the franchise has earned since its inception. Ian Fleming’s literary creation has generated $13.8 billion in business from the first novel through the most recent film, Casino Royale. His next film, November’s Quantum of Solace, will only add to those numbers.
The article breaks down the categories and estimates that the original 14 Fleming books in addition to the 30 authorized sequels and related titles have brought in a cool $1 billion on their own. The article notes that Sebastian Faulks’ novel, Devil May Care, released earlier this year became the fastest selling hardcover fiction title in Penguin’s history despite poor reviews. The appetite for Bond fiction remains large.
The film series, from Albert Broccoli and his heirs, began in 1961 with Sean Connery portraying the spy in Doctor No. The official 21 films alone have brought in $11.6 billion plus whatever the original Casino Royale and Connery’s return in Never Say Never Again added to the totals. Home video sales are estimated to have generated $400 million before the Blu-ray releases coming shortly from Fox Home Entertainment.
Bond remains a licensing machine with video games accounting for $812 million alone plus other toys and games in the mix.
The article notes that other huge money machines include Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and Batman.
Oh.. Batman….I thought the headline said Bateman, and I was wonder what 007 had against the star of Arrested Development.
Now having read the article…shouldn't it have mentioned how much Batman has made?