Oscars 2025: Amazon really, really, really wants you to know it owns James Bond
Songs from James Bond movies have won Oscars before, with Adele, Sam Smith, and Billie Eilish establishing a recent pattern that the theme tune from the latest 007 adventure is virtually guaranteed to win an Academy Award.
However, there hasn’t been a new entry in the long-running franchise since 2021’s No Time to Die, and there isn’t going to be another one for a while yet. The future of cinema’s favourite secret agent remains completely up in the air, but since when has Amazon been able to resist the lure of product placement?
While it was framed as a glowing tribute to longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, who’ll be taking a step back from the series as Jeff Bezos assumes full control in his latest step towards becoming a real-life Blofeld, the medley of famous tracks being belted out by famous pop stars reeked of Amazon patting itself on the back and reminding everyone of Bond’s new ownership.
There was nothing inherently wrong with Margaret Qualley dancing around for some reason despite her lack of connections to 007’s long and storied history, just like there weren’t any major flaws to be found in Blackpink’s Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye performing ‘Live and Let Die’, ‘Diamonds Are Forever’, and ‘Skyfall’.
That said, the timing is nothing if not suspect. The Bond performance was only announced in the week leading up to the Oscars, and it came suspiciously hot on the heels of Amazon taking control. It might sound cynical, but it definitely feels as though the overriding sentiment behind the segment was that Bezos and his fellow corporate overlords really, really, really wanted everyone watching the Oscars to know that MI6’s finest is under new management.
After all, it wasn’t too long ago that Broccoli allegedly referred to the top brass at Amazon as “fucking idiots” who weren’t qualified to take on a property as monolithic as Bond. And yet, here we are with the online retailer and streamer taking 007’s future in its hands, which presumably cost the company a pretty penny when Eon Productions has always been so protective of the brand.
Broccoli and Wilson repeatedly shut down the idea of spinoffs, TV shows, and various other offshoots tied to Bond, but the existence of a reality show that’s already been forgotten indicated that Amazon’s vast riches were difficult to turn down. Now that they’re no longer steering the ship, the chances are high that audiences will be inundated with Bond-adjacent content as Amazon – which is yet to launch a viable movie franchise of its own – sinks its teeth into one of the biggest and most beloved ever.
Technically, it was a tribute to Bond’s back catalogue and the legacy left behind by Broccoli and Wilson, but the whiff of brand synchronicity filled the air, almost as if a multi-billion dollar conglomerate wanted to proudly announce to the world that whenever 007 eventually returns, no expense will be spared.
What did it have to do with the Oscars? Nothing. Will anyone remember it tomorrow? Debatable. Either way, Amazon got the word out: there’s a new sheriff in town, and it’s available for a relatively inexpensive monthly subscription fee.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.