The worldwide release of the new James Bond movie ‘ No Time to Die ‘ was postponed by seven months in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has closed China’s movie theaters, causing widespread difficulties for other Hollywood productions.
The producers said, “The release of Daniel Craig’s last outing as an agent 007 will be delayed internationally by Univeral Pictures and it will be postponed from the beginning of April until November.”
The official James Bond Twitter handle tweeted, “After careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020.”
The posting made no specific reference to coronavirus but follows reports in entertainment trade media last week of the cancellation of plans for the film’s red carpet premiere in China, Hollywood’s biggest overseas market.
Theatres in China have been closed since January and other countries like Japan and South Korea and parts of Italy are also closing down theatres as a cautious move to combat coronavirus.
No Time To Die cost a whopping $200 million to produce and was due to release in movie theatres on 2nd April after a Worldwide premiere in London on 31st March.
Many fan sites of the James Bond franchise also urged and supported the studio for the delay in the release of the film. A fan page wrote, “We have all waited over 4 years for this film. Another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box-office for Daniel Craig’s final hurrah.”
Talking about the projects being canceled or delayed because of the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, last week Tom Cruise’s new Mission: Impossible was postponed due to the outbreak of the deadly disease in some parts of Italy.