James Bond just blinked.
Just a month out from release, the fifth and final outing of Daniel Craig as James Bond in “No Time To Die” has been delayed a full seven months. Originally slated to open in early April, the film has now been pushed to November 25th, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Universal, MGM, and the film’s producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have issued a statement saying they have decided to move the release due to the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the film industry both on the production and exhibition side.
In particular in China, cinemas have been closed for weeks with no apparent end in sight. Similar closures are now impacting Italy, France, and other international territories – leading to obvious concerns over the potential box-office haul for major blockbusters scheduled for release this Spring.
The film will now be released in the U.K. on November 12th 2020 with worldwide release dates to follow, including the U.S. launch on November 25th. Craig’s previous Bond films have all opened in the Fall so this puts the movie on more familiar ground.
That said, millions have already been spent on marketing with major trailers and TV spots out there and little in the way of competition. Whether the next major tentpoles in May like “Black Widow” and “F9: The Fast Saga” will follow suit isn’t yet clear but all will rely heavily on Chinese box-office so this may just be the start of major delays for the year.
You can check out the most recent TV spot, probably the last bit of promotional footage we’ll see from the film until a new trailer after the Summer, below.
