The next James Bond film No Time to Die has pushed back its release date from April to November due concerns about the coronavirus.
No Time to Die was originally slated to be released internationally on April 2 and in the U.S. on April 10. However, due to the spread of coronavirus, there have been major theater closures in major movie markets like Italy, South Korea, China and Japan. Those closures — and the overwhelming potential loss of money — prompted the studios to move the release date of the film.
According to Deadline, James Bond’s newest adventure in No Time to Die will now be released on November 12 in the U.K. and on November 25 in the United States, which is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Worldwide release dates will follow those.
“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that 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 film will be released in the U.K. on November 12, 2020 with worldwide release dates to follow, including the U.S. launch on November 25, 2020,” said a statement given exclusively to Deadline by the three studios.
The last four James Bond outings starring Daniel Craig — Spectre, Skyfall, Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale — have grossed $3.2B worldwide, with Skyfall alone bringing in $1.1 billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing James Bond film of all time.
Given that expectation and production budget, the studios felt that sticking to the original release plan would’ve proved to be a disservice to the franchise.
For fans who are concerned that the move might hint at other production problems or about a fear of coronovirus in general need not worry. According to Deadline, the move is a purely economic one. Given the $200 million production budget — plus millions more in the marketing budget — the film will need access to and high performance in those international markets in order to make a profit.