The Pandemic Takes Its Toll Again as "No Time to Die" is Delayed Till 2021
2020 strikes again, pushing back the final bond movie
By: Keaton Marcus
Fuck off, Coronavirus. Daniel Craig’s final James Bond movie, No Time to Die, has been announced to be delayed till April 2, 2021, vacating its November 20 release date. I guess we’ll have to wait till Easter weekend, folks.
The odd thing is, this is a horrible business decision. The April 2 release date next year puts the movie on the same weekend as Universal’s F9, the next Fast & Furious installment. Both are heavyweight, highly-anticipated blockbusters, and putting one on the same release date as the other may not be so good for the box office. If both movies keep these dates, which I don’t think they will, it’ll be an all-out battle for the number one slot. Also, no matter what happens, the fight will chop the movie’s receipts in half. Universal decided to provide no comment for the release change, but I’ll bet they’re pissed as hell.
“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, today announced the release of No Time To Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, will be delayed until 2 April in order to be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience. We understand the delay will be disappointing to our fans but we now look forward to sharing No Time To Die next year,” said the studio in their official statement.
We all knew this was coming. The decision was made at a time when the pandemic holds New York theaters, LA cinemas, and many more across the US, in its clutches. Christopher Nolan’s most-recent film, Tenet, was supposed to be the savior of theater chains, and its halt at the domestic box office humbled and surprised studios. Three major blockbusters have moved their dates (again) since the second weekend of Nolan’s movie: Black Widow, WW 1984, and now this.
One thing is for sure: next year will be packed with big movies. From Godzilla vs. Kong, to plenty of superhero sequels, and anticipated indies, it’ll be a wet dream for moviegoers. But for the remainder of 2020, Dune only stands, with a date set at the end of this year. The thing is, that’ll probably be delayed as well.
