Fifty years later, James Bond is still unbeatable at the box office. The latest in the series, Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig as agent 007, surpassed $1.1 billion in worldwide gross box office receipts recently. Box Office Mojo says it's the first 2-D film since the final installment of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy -- Return of the King -- to earn at least $1.1 billion at the global gate.
IMAX (IMAX -1.13%) probably aided the cause. As with Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, which took in $1.08 billion worldwide last summer for Time Warner (TWX), Skyfall included a wider aspect ratio to bring 26% more action in premium-priced IMAX showings.
The news comes after an uninspiring season for 3-D movies, sending shares of RealD (NYSE: RLD) down more than 12% over the past year. Director James Cameron has resigned from the company's board in order to spend more time on sequels to Avatar, a 3-D wonder that stands as the top-grossing film of all time.
Are 3-D's days numbered? Not likely, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. And yet, Cameron's vocal support for the technology seems to be lacking elsewhere, as filmmakers such as Nolan opt instead for IMAX cameras. Tim comments on what this means for the stock in the video below. Watch now, and then leave a comment to let us know what you think.
