Also sharing insights about the legacy and future of the cinematic world's most famous spy, Malek says Craig has made the character universal by giving him a rich, complex and human quality, and the new tale has assertively elevated female roles.

The female characters in the new film are mostly strong, independent and capable, from Seydoux's psychologist to Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas portraying a CIA operative and Lynch's MI6 agent.

"The quintessential Bond girl does not exist anymore," comments Malek. "I think moving forward in that direction is good for everyone, and especially good for young girls, who are watching and really being able to look at these characters and identify with them. In fact, 007 can just be a number."

While that number seems to remain as a hot topic, drawing impassioned debate from fans, it is the number surrounding box-office takings that might be more relevant to the actual industry, especially those parties running cinemas.

Grossing 183 million yuan ($28.6 million) as of Monday, future takings for No Time to Die have been plunged into uncertainty, as cinemas in some parts of the country temporarily shut down operations in a bid to avoid cluster infection following a spike in reported COVID-19 cases. Cinemas in Beijing's Xicheng, Dongcheng and Changping districts were the latest to close their doors over the weekend.