The release date of the 25th James Bond film, No Time To Die, has been delayed seven months due to the coronavirus crisis. A globalized world is particularly vulnerable to the threat of disease, with travel meaning viruses and bacteria can cross the globe with disturbing ease. coronavirus, or COVID-19, has the potential to become a pandemic.
That's already caused significant problems for the Chinese box office, where delay No Time To Die's release altogether. The film will now debut on November 12, 2020 in the U.K. and November 25, 2020 in the US. Other worldwide release dates will be revealed later.
MGM is the first studio to push back a release date because of coronavirus, but they won't be the last. Their announcement comes as Western nations are beginning to put together strategies to combat the spread of the disease. In the UK, for instance, the British Government has announced a four-stage plan: contain the virus, delay its transmission, research its origins, and mitigate its impact. They're encouraging people to minimize large social gatherings for their own safety. It's no coincidence MGM decided to delay No Time To Die just a day after the British Government began to go public about their coronavirus strategy.
Anti-coronavirus measures will naturally have a massive impact on big releases. Film premieres and major marketing events will be disrupted, because people won't want to turn up and be part of a large crowd, where the odds of unwittingly encountering someone with coronavirus increase. Even if the crowds will still come, the stars themselves will be reluctant, and studios won't want to put them at risk. This has already led Disney to cancel a major Disney+ event scheduled to take place in London. Furthermore, it's safe to say the box office is going to be significantly depressed by coronavirus; other countries may follow China's lead and begin to close their theaters for fear of creating an environment where disease could spread. Many people will be wary of going out to watch a movie, concerned they'll catch coronavirus.
Experts in the study of epidemics are currently advising governments how to control the spread of coronavirus as much as possible. In the Northern hemisphere, the goal is to ensure coronavirus peaks in the summer, a time when hospital beds are in less demand. This is why MGM has pushed No Time To Die back a full seven months; because they're hoping government strategies will be successful, and that by November the worst of the potential pandemic will be over. It's safe to assume other studios will follow MGM's lead, especially for films that are dependent on the lucrative Chinese box office.
