How Much Amazon Paid For James Bond Franchise Revealed

A new report reveals how much Amazon MGM paid to acquire the rights to control the James Bond franchise. The first 25 installments in the British spy franchise (from 1962’s Dr. No through 2021’s No Time to Die) were all made by EON Productions.

However, it was revealed in February 2025 that Amazon MGM Studios had struck a deal for full creative control over the franchise, including the upcoming Bond 26.

Per Deadline, the studio paid $20 million to EON Productions for the rights to the iconic spy franchise. When this James Bond deal was initially reported, the price tag was rumored to have been as high as $1 billion. According to the report, this price was paid for “[EON’s] interest in the Bond franchise, [and] all associated assets as well as its subsidiary companies, B24 Limited and B25 Limited.”

While this actual sum (which has been revealed by an earnings report filed by EON Productions, though Amazon MGM Studios has not confirmed it) is 98% less than that original report, it may also involve stock options for Amazon in addition to the flat sum.

This $20 million sum pales in comparison to the budgets for the James Bond movies. The reported budgets for all five installments starring Daniel Craig (from 2006’s Casino Royale through No Time to Die) were all more than $150 million, a total that is more than seven times what Amazon MGM reportedly paid for the franchise.

In fact, when not adjusted for inflation, the most recent Bond installment to cost less than $20 million was 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, which starred Roger Moore.

When adjusting for inflation, only Dr. No cost less than $20 million (its reported budget was $1.1 million in 1962, which is roughly $11.72 million at the time of writing).

However, especially when the potential stock options are taken into account, this price may still have been attractive to EON Productions. According to Deadline, EON’s 2024 revenue was only $16.3 million in 2024, with a pre-tax profit of roughly $2 million.

While EON has more titles in its library than just the spy series, the James Bond franchise having remained dormant for several years may have been behind this downturn, considering the fact that they reported earnings of roughly $390 million in 2021, in the wake of the release of No Time to Die.

This deal will also very likely benefit Amazon MGM greatly, as the five most recent James Bond movies have earned more than $500 million worldwide, with 2012’s Skyfall becoming the highest-grossing installment yet, taking in $1.108 billion and becoming the second highest-grossing movie of that year overall (behind The Avengers).