No Time to Die opened at the North American box-office over the weekend with an estimated opening of $56 million as Hollywood attempts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and lure older adults back to theaters.

The James Bond picture, starring Daniel Craig in his final turn as 007, scored the fifth-best domestic opening of the pandemic era and had no trouble coming in No. 1.It was ahead of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which earned $32 million in its second outing after opening to a pandemic-best $90 million last weekend.

No Time to Die had hoped to cross $60 million in its domestic launch.

From MGM and EON Productions, the movie’s opening underscores the ongoing challenges facing the box office recovery as studios release movies that were delayed numerous times because of the pandemic. No Time to Die was pushed back three times due to COVID.

Age Matters: Male and Middle-Aged Viewers

No Time to Die skewed male (64 percent), while 57 percent of ticket buyers were over the age of 35, including 36 percent over 45 years old.

In comparison, only 9 percent of ticket buyers going to see Venom: Let There Be Carnage on that film’s opening weekend were 45 and older. It played best in cities on both coasts.

No Time to Die runs a hefty two hours and 43 minutes, reducing showtimes and making it the longest Bond film.

Bond films have never had huge openings and, instead, rely on strong multiples. They also are bigger internationally.

Overseas, No Time to Die saw its early total climb to $250 million-plus over the weekend for a worldwide figure north of $300 million.

It earned another $89.5 million over the weekend from 66 markets for a foreign tally of $257.4 million and $313.3 million. In many regions, including Latin America, it held well or was even up.

The big-budget tentpole has been embraced by critics and earned an A- CinemaScore from audiences in North America, the same as the last Bond film, 2015’s Spectre.

In 2012, Skyfall — which opened to a record $88.4 million domestically — earned an A CinemaScore.

Directed by Cary Fukunaga, the event pic is being distributed domestically by United Artists Releasing and internationally by Universal.

The cast also includes Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Christoph Waltz, along with franchise newcomers Rami Malek, Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch.

In North America, No Time to Die is playing in 4,407 theaters, the widest footprint of any Bond pic.

Venom 2 came in No. 2. The pic, which fell 65 percent, finished Sunday with a stellar 10-day domestic total of $141.7 million.