37 Years Ago Today: Iconic James Bond Movie Broke the Mold - And It Was a Screen Legend's Last
On this date 37 years ago Timothy Dalton's final appearance as James Bond hit theaters.
Licence to Kill broke the mold in several ways; being the first James Bond movie entirely filmed outside of the United Kingdom for financial purposes and was the first of the franchise not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel.
"En route to the wedding of his friend Felix Leiter in Florida, Bond and Leiter take a detour to arrest drug baron Franz Sanchez. It doesn't take too long, however, for Sanchez to break himself out of jail, and kill the new Mrs Leiter and maim Felix," the synopsis of the film reads.
"Bond seeks revenge. With his licence revoked by the British government, and with the aid of CIA operative Pam Bouvier as well as MI6 gadget specialist Q, they bring Sanchez and his entire corrupt drug empire to its knees."
Was 'Licence to Kill' a Box Office Flop?
Licence to Kill wasn't exactly a smash hit, bringing in just $34.6 million in ticket sales in the United States while films like Batman, which grossed over $250 million, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, co-starring original 007 Sean Connery and earned more than $197 million, were commercially successful.
Adjusted for inflation, License to Kill is the lowest-grossing film in Bond franchise history.
The movie was also Dalton's last in the role - serving a the character for just two films, though he was initially considered for a third, scheduled for release in 1991 as Property of a Lady.
"But a protracted legal battle stemming from the sale and eventual bankruptcy of the series' distribution company, MGM, put the project on ice for four more years. This delay between movies ended Dalton's time with the series after just two films and left its entire future up in the air," Ultimate Classic Rock revealed.
The film owns a strong 79% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Related: 1968 Classic, Named 'Greatest Western of All Time', Was Turned Down by Clint Eastwood
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 1:29 AM.