The World Premiere of Goldfinger (1964) was held on Thursday 17th September 1964 at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square, London. Sean Connery could not attend due to filming commitments for The Hill (1965). A specially designed "gold finger" piece of jewelery was designed by British Designer Dipples for Honor Blackman for the premiere and the star's promotional tour for the movie. Sean Connery drove an Aston Martin DB5 down the famous Parisian promenade of the Champs-Elysees for the French Premiere of the film. For the occasion, sixty women were gilded in gold like the Shirley Eaton character of the movie. One woman mobbed Connery and got into the car. After this incident, Connery stopped attending James Bond premieres.
During the filming of Thunderball (1965), principal photography at the Château d'Anet, Anet, Eure-et-Loir, France coincided with the French Premiere of the previous James Bond movie, Goldfinger (1964). As such, members of the production attended the French launch.
According to the American Film Institute's AFI Catalog, "the U.K. premiere [of 'Goldfinger' (1964)] took place 17 Sep 1964 at the Odeon, Leicester Square in London, with a 'showcase' engagement to follow three days later at nine London-area theaters. According to the 26 Aug 1964 Var, this marked the first time the 'showcase' exhibition strategy was employed in the U.K. after it was popularized by United Artists (UA) in New York City. General U.K. release was scheduled for 18 Oct 1964, using the traditional 'single-week booking' strategy."