Skyfall

Skyfall
British cinema poster for Skyfall, designed by Empire Design
Directed by	Sam Mendes
Screenplay by	Neal Purvis Robert Wade John Logan
Based on	James Bond by Ian Fleming
Produced by	Michael G. Wilson Barbara Broccoli
Starring	Daniel Craig Javier Bardem Ralph Fiennes Naomie Harris Bérénice Marlohe Albert Finney Judi Dench
Cinematography	Roger Deakins
Edited by	Stuart Baird Kate Baird
Music by	Thomas Newman
Production companies	Eon Productions Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Columbia Pictures
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release dates	23 October 2012 (2012-10-23) (London, premiere) 26 October 2012 (2012-10-26) (United Kingdom) 9 November 2012 (2012-11-09) (United States)
Running time	143 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$150–200 million
Box office	$1.109 billion

Skyfall is a 2012 spy movie and the twenty-third in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. The movie is the third to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond and includes Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the villain, and Judi Dench, as M. It was directed by Sam Mendes and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan, and features the theme song "Skyfall", written and performed by Adele. It was distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The movie centres around Bond investigating an attack on MI6; the attack is part of a plot by former MI6 operative Raoul Silva to humiliate, discredit and kill M as revenge against her for betraying him. It sees the return of two recurring characters after an absence of two movies: Q, played by Ben Whishaw, and Miss Moneypenny, played by Naomie Harris.

Mendes was approached to direct after the release of Quantum of Solace in 2008. Development was suspended when MGM ran into financial trouble, and did not resume until MGM emerged from bankruptcy in December 2010; meanwhile the original screenwriter, Peter Morgan, left the project. When production resumed, Logan, Purvis, and Wade continued writing what became the final version. Filming began in November 2011, primarily in the United Kingdom, with smaller portions shot in China and Turkey.

Skyfall premiered at the Royal Albert Hall, London, on 23 October 2012 and was released in the UK on 26 October and in North America on 9 November. It was the first James Bond movie to be screened in IMAX venues, although it was not filmed with IMAX cameras. The release coincided with the 50th anniversary of the series, which began with Dr. No in 1962. Skyfall was very well received by critics, who praised its screenplay, acting (particularly by Craig, Bardem, and Dench), Mendes's direction, Deakins's cinematography, Thomas Newman's musical score, and action sequences. It was the fourteenth movie to gross over $1 billion worldwide, and the only James Bond movie to do so. It became the seventh-highest-grossing movie of all time, the highest-grossing movie in the UK, the highest-grossing movie in the series, the highest-grossing movie worldwide for both Sony Pictures and MGM, and the second-highest-grossing movie of 2012. The movie won several accolades, including two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards and two Grammy Awards.

The next movie in the series, Spectre, was released in North America in November 2015, with Craig reprising his role, Sony Pictures returning to distribute, and Mendes returning to direct.

Release dates

Country	Premiere
United Arab Emirates	26 October 2012
Belgium	26 October 2012
Bulgaria	26 October 2012
Bahrain	26 October 2012
Brazil	26 October 2012
Czech Republic	26 October 2012
Denmark	26 October 2012
Egypt	26 October 2012
Finland	26 October 2012
France	26 October 2012
United Kingdom	26 October 2012
Hungary	26 October 2012
Ireland	26 October 2012
Israel	26 October 2012
Iraq	26 October 2012
Iceland	26 October 2012
Jordan	26 October 2012
South Korea	26 October 2012
Kuwait	26 October 2012
Kazakhstan	26 October 2012
Lebanon	26 October 2012
Malta	26 October 2012
Norway	26 October 2012
Oman	26 October 2012
Poland	26 October 2012
Palestine	26 October 2012
Portugal	26 October 2012
Qatar	26 October 2012
Romania	26 October 2012
Russia	26 October 2012
Sweden	26 October 2012
Slovakia	26 October 2012
Switzerland	27 October 2012 (French speaking region)
Spain	31 October 2012
Italy	31 October 2012
Netherlands	31 October 2012
Philippines	31 October 2012
Serbia	31 October 2012
Argentina	1 November 2012
Austria	1 November 2012
Bolivia	1 November 2012
Switzerland	1 November 2012 (German speaking region)
Chile	1 November 2012
Germany	1 November 2012
Georgia	1 November 2012
Greece	1 November 2012
Hong Kong	1 November 2012
Croatia	1 November 2012
Indonesia	1 November 2012
Lithuania	1 November 2012
Malaysia	1 November 2012
Peru	1 November 2012
Singapore	1 November 2012
Slovenia	1 November 2012
El Salvador	1 November 2012
Thailand	1 November 2012
Ukraine	1 November 2012
Uruguay	1 November 2012
Colombia	2 November 2012
Ecuador	2 November 2012
Estonia	2 November 2012
Ethiopia	2 November 2012
Kenya	2 November 2012
Latvia	2 November 2012
Mexico	2 November 2012
Nigeria	2 November 2012
Panama	2 November 2012
Turkey	2 November 2012
Taiwan	2 November 2012
Venezuela	2 November 2012
Vietnam	2 November 2012
Armenia	5 November 2012
Jamaica	7 November 2012
Albania	9 November 2012
Canada	9 November 2012
Pakistan	9 November 2012
United States	9 November 2012
Cambodia	15 November 2012
Australia	22 November 2012
North Macedonia	22 November 2012
New Zealand	22 November 2012
Bangladesh	29 November 2012
South Africa	30 November 2012
Japan	1 December 2012
Dominican Republic	6 December 2012
China	21 January 2013

Other websites

• Skyfall on IMDb