Premiere Bond: Opening Nights (2006 Video)
Trivia
The Royal World Premiere of You Only Live Twice (1967) was held on 12th June 1967 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London and was attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was sponsored by the Variety Club of Great Britain and was held in aid of two charities, the YMCA and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
The Royal World Premiere of For Your Eyes Only (1981) was held on 24 June 1981 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royals King Charles III and the then Lady Diana Spencer [Princess Diana] of England. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation. The launch was attended by then future James Bond Pierce Brosnan with then wife Cassandra Harris who had appeared in the film.
The World Premiere of The World Is Not Enough (1999) was held on 8th November 1999 at two cinemas: Bruin & Fox's Theatre and Mann's Village Chinese Theater, both in Los Angeles, California. It was the second Bond movie in the official series to launch in California, the first was A View to a Kill (1985). It was the second for L.A. for any Bond movie, the first was Never Say Never Again (1983). It was the third Bond premiere for California and the fourth overall in the USA, after the above-mentioned and GoldenEye (1995). The European and British Premiere was held at the regular Bond launch venue at London's Leicester Square Odeon Theatre on the 22nd November 1999. The UK Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the charity Children's Promise. The post-premiere party was held at St. James Square.
The film's Charity World Premiere was held on Tuesday 9th December 1997 (which is also Judi Dench's birthday) at the Odeon Theatre Leicester Square in London, England. The launch was not a Royal Premiere on this occasion. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the King George's Fund for Sailors. The after-party was held at Bedford Square home of Jonathan Cape, the publisher of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. The American Gala Premiere in the USA was held in Los Angeles on Tuesday 16th December 1997 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
The Royal World Premiere of The Living Daylights (1987) was held on 29th June 1987 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royals King Charles III and Princess Diana of England.
The World Premiere of GoldenEye (1995) was held on 13th November 1995 at New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall. This was the first for any Bond film to be held in New York and the second in the USA for an official series Bond pic after A View to a Kill (1985) and third overall for any Bond movie after that movie and Never Say Never Again (1983). The after-premiere party was held at New York's Museum of Modern Art. The British and European Royal Premiere was held on 21st November 1995 at London's Leicester Square Odeon Theatre in the presence of British Royal King Charles III. The post-premiere party was held at the Imperial War Museum. Pierce Brosnan boycotted the French Premiere in support of Greenpeace and in protest of that country's nuclear testing in the South Pacific. The premiere was then canceled. The French military had supplied the frigate FS La Fayette and a Eurocopter Tiger helicopter for use in the movie.
The Royal World Charity Premiere of Licence to Kill (1989) was held on Tuesday 13th June 1989 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London and was attended by King Charles III and Princess Diana, the last Bond launch they would attend together. Reportedly, Diana wore the same dress that she wore to the World Premiere of Octopussy (1983). The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the charity the The Prince's Trust. The US American Premiere was held in New York on Tuesday 11th July 1989 at Lowes Astor Plaza theatre near Times Square.
The Charity World Premiere of A View to a Kill (1985) was held on 22nd May 1985 at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the (San Francisco's) Mayor's Youth Fund to benefit the Tenderloin Child Care Center. A Benefit Premiere was also held in Los Angeles on the following night on 23rd May 1985. The British and European Gala Royal Charity Premiere was held on 12 June 1985 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre. This is the usual venue for Bond World Premieres. The after-premiere party was held at the Inner Temple Hall.
The Royal World Premiere of Moonraker (1979) was held on 26th June 1979 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royal Prince Philip.
The Royal World Charity Premiere of Octopussy (1983) was held on 6 June 1983 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royals King Charles III and Princess Diana of England. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the Stars Organisations for Spastics.
The Royal Charity World Premiere of Die Another Day (2002) was held on 18th November 2002 at London's Royal Albert Hall, South Kensington, London in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of England. The venue was transformed into an ice palace for the night. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was also the The Royal Annual Film Performance of 2002, the 56th and the first ever for a Bond movie. It was also the 2nd to be resided over by Queen Elizabeth II who had attended the premiere thirty-five years earlier for You Only Live Twice (1967). The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) of which the Queen is patron. A parallel premiere was also held on the same night at London's Leicester Square's Empire UCI Theatre.
The Royal World Premiere of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was held on the 7th July 1977 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London and was attended by Princess Anne, her second Bond launch after Live and Let Die (1973). The date has special significance as it is abbreviated as 7/7/77 or even 007/007/77, all digits being a 7 as in 007.
The Royal World Premiere of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) was held on Thursday 18 December 1969 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London in the presence of the Duke of Kent and the Duchess of Kent. George Lazenby attended the event sporting a beard.
The Royal World Premiere of The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was held on Thursday 19th December 1974 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London in the presence of Prince Philip who was the Guest of Honour.
The World Premiere of Goldfinger (1964) was held on Thursday 17th September 1964 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London. Sean Connery could not attend due to filming commitments for The Hill (1965). A specially designed "gold finger" piece of jewelery was designed by British Designer Dipples for Honor Blackman for the premiere and the star's promotional tour for the movie. Sean Connery drove an Aston Martin DB5 down the famous Parisian promenade of the Champs-Elysees for the French Premiere of the film. For the occasion, sixty women were gilded in gold like the Shirley Eaton character of the movie. One woman mobbed Connery and got into the car. After this incident, Connery stopped attending James Bond premieres.
Albert R. Broccoli hated the line "Alimentary, Dr. Leiter," which Bond says when asked the location of the diamonds in Peter Franks's body in Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He thought no one would understand it referred to digestion. At the film's premiere, two people in the front row burst out laughing at the line, and Broccoli quipped, "Big deal, they're doctors."
The World Premiere of Thunderball (1965) was held on 9th December 1965 at the Hibiya Cinema, Tokyo, Japan. The film's US Premiere was on 21 December 1965 in New York and this is sometimes mistaken as being the movie's World Premiere. United Artists arranged one of the Bell Jet-Pack pilots to fly off the marquee of the Paramount Theater at 1501 Broadway, Manhattan as a promotion at the launch. A number of United Artists publicity personnel and the pilot were arrested as no one had sought permission from the authorities. The UK launch held dual premieres in London on 29th December 1965 at the Rialto Theatre and Pavillion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus. The after-party was held at the Royal Garden Hotel and proceeds from the night went to benefit the Newspaper Press Fund.
The Royal World Premiere of Live and Let Die (1973) was held on 5th July 1973 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London in the presence of Princess Anne. The movie for the first time however was actually released in the USA a week prior to the official launch on 27th June 1973.
The World Premiere of Dr. No (1962) was held on 5th October 1962 at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus, London. The launch of the first ever James Bond film in a cinema was attended by Sean Connery, Zena Marshall and James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
The Royal World Premiere of From Russia with Love (1963) was held on 10 October 1963 and attended by John Russell and The Duchess of Bedford. It was held at multiple venues in London which included the London Pavilion with the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square being the main venue for the occasion. This was the final James Bond premiere attended by James Bond creator Ian Fleming.
The Royal World Premiere of Casino Royale (2006) was held on Tuesday 14th November 2006 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of England. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was also the 60th Royal Film Performance, the second for a Bond film, the first was Die Another Day (2002). It was held in aid of the Film & Television Benevolent Fund (FTBF). Parallel premieres were also held nearby at other London Leicester Square theatres the Empire and the Odeon West End on the same date.
The Royal World Premiere of Quantum of Solace (2008) was held on Wednesday 29 October 2008 at London's Odeon Leicester Square Theatre in the presence of British Royals Prince William of Wales and Prince Harry of England. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the "Help for Heroes" and "The Royal British Legion" charities.
During the filming of Thunderball (1965), principal photography at the Château d'Anet, Anet, Eure-et-Loir, France coincided with the French Premiere of the previous James Bond movie, Goldfinger (1964). As such, members of the production attended the French launch.
According to Yaphet Kotto, he was not allegedly allowed to to do any press for 'Live and Let Die' (1973), nor was he allegedly allowed to attend the premiere. Kotto states the producers allegedly told him they were afraid of the public's reaction to the villain being black.
