‘No Time to Die’ Release Postponed to the Fall Due to Coronavirus
Boy the title is very unfortunate now, huh?
As revealed on the film’s official Twitter account, producers have decided to push back No Time to Die, the next James Bond film from its originally planned April release date to November 25 because of fears about the novel coronavirus and its impact on the film’s global premieres as well as its box office potential. The studio had already canceled publicity tours for the movie in Asia, and the Hong Kong release date of the movie had already been pushed back as well. Now, everyone will have to wait until the fall.
The tweet says that the move was made “after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace.”
Just a few days ago, several 007 fan sites sent an open letter to the production asking them to delay No Time to Die’s release, specifically over fears due to the coronavirus. “There is a significant chance that cinemas will be closed, or their attendance severely reduced, by early April,” the letter read. “Even if there are no legal restrictions on cinemas being open, to quote M in Skyfall, ‘How safe do you feel?’”
This is the first major blockbuster to move its global release date as a result of the coronavirus, which has to date sickened more than 92,000 people worldwide, including 120 people in the United States. But there are other huge movies that are supposed to open in theaters later this month, including A Quiet Place Part II on March 20, and Mulan on March 27. Don’t be surprised if Bond is the first, and not the last, to relocate to the fall. This is also very bad news for movie theaters, who may lose some or all of their big spring releases, which will make people even less likely to head out to multiplex in the midst of all these coronavirus fears.
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