'No Time to Die' eyes USD 60 mn first weekend haul in North America

The pickings were definitely less than 2015's 'Spectre' ($27.4 million) and 2012's 'Skyfall' (a franchise high $30.5 million), but Variety.com reported that NTTD is "expected to open at the top of the domestic box-office with a projected weekend haul of $60 million".

According to the global entertainment industry trade guide, "the total indicates notable enthusiasm for the film, especially for a time where there remains some trepidation about going to movie theatres".

The runner-up slot for the weekend will be taken by the Tom Hardy-starrer 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage', with projected earnings of $31.1 million, after a record-setting opening weekend of $90.1 million.

It is followed by 'The Addams Family 2' and the Asian superhero movie 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings', which has grossed $209.4 million in the North American market since its September 1 release.