James Bond Fans React After ‘No Time to Die’ Release Delayed Due to Coronavirus
The coronavirus is making itself felt in the entertainment industry. The release of No Time to Die, the highly anticipated next movie in the James Bond franchise, has been delayed until November. The film — the last with Daniel Craig as 007 — was scheduled to open in the U.S. on April 10.
‘No Time to Die’ will open November 25
The decision to shift the new Bond film’s release date was reached “after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace,” according to a statement released through the official James Bond Twitter account.
The movie — which is produced by MGM, Eon, and Universal — will now open in the U.S. on Wednesday, November 25 — the day before Thanksgiving. That’s actually more in line with traditional Bond film release dates, noted Deadline. Since the mid-1990s, most movies in the franchise have launched in November.
Pushing the release of No Time to Die back several months is a response to the coronavirus. In China, where the outbreak began, movie theaters are currently closed. In countries such as South Korea and Italy, audiences are staying away from cinemas because of the virus. And if the disease continues to spread, people elsewhere in world may also start avoiding theaters. In some areas, large gatherings of people have already been banned. All that has the potential to significantly impact the film’s box office performance.
Some had already called for the film’s release to be put on hold
Even before producers decided to put Bond on hold, fans of the franchise were calling for the film’s release to be delayed. The team at Bond fansite MI6-HQ published an open letter on March 2 urging producers “to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events.”
They warned that a single infected person at the film’s premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall could pass the disease to many others. And if the coronavirus continues to spread in the U.S., “the situation by late March and early April will not be conducive to the box-office.”
“It’s just a movie,” James Page and David Leigh wrote. “The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important. 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.”
James Bond fans react
On Twitter, Bond fans had mixed reactions to the news that No Time to Die would be delayed.
Some were disappointed that the movie, which was originally supposed to hit theaters in November 2019, had been pushed back again. “This sounds [like] quite a knee jerk reaction,” one tweeted. “Feels like a massive overreaction,” commented another.
Others wondered whether they could get their money back if they’d already bought a ticket to an April screening of the film. Many simply replied to the tweet with a single word: “No.”
But some fans supported the decision. “People will moan but it’s the right decision,” tweeted one. “Hopefully there will be less of a risk then.”
Others were happy to see the next Bond movie back in its traditional fall release slot.
“A spring release date doesn’t fit right for a Bond movie,” commented one. “November just feels so natural.”
