William Hill has today cut the price from 10-1 to 7-1 for new James Bond movie No Time To Die to become the highest grossing UK film of all-time.

The UK’s “widest theatrical release of all time” opened to five-star reviews in 772 cinemas in the UK and Ireland on Thursday. And box office expectations are high, as the 25th instalment of the super-spy franchise will be looking to recoup initial production costs, revenue share with MGM and interest payments on investment totalling $900m.

No Time To Die’s producers – Universal – has said it took somewhere between £4.5 -£5 million on the first day. But the film, which has faced a series of delays owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, faces external pressures too, with many suggesting it carries the hopes of the industry and its returning to pre-Covid revenues. It could also prove that such a thing as a “box office hit” still exists.

It would be no mean feat for a film which has crept into the top 10 most expensive movies of all time – albeit ninth, having cost $314 million. The most expensive was 2011 Pirates of the Caribbean movie – On Stranger Tides.

Previous Bond films Skyfall (£103.2m) and Spectre (£95.2m) are second and third respectively in the all-time UK and Irish box office earnings; both starring Daniel Craig and both trailing 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens (£123.2m).

“Bond is clearly tempting people back to the Cinema and we think there is a real chance that it could smash UK box office records,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.

Meanwhile, the outgoing Craig is 100-1 to win Best Actor, while Universal Pictures and MGM film No Time To Die is 66-1 to land Best Picture at next year’s Academy Awards.

Talent of the moment Rege-Jean Page is the new favourite to land the vacant role as the world’s most famous super spy at 5/2.