LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The release of the new James Bond movie “No Time to Die” has been delayed until April 2021, the filmmakers said on Friday, as movie theaters struggle to draw audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.
The movie, from MGM and Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures, had been scheduled to debut in theaters on Nov. 11.
The movie studios and producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said the film was being delayed “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,” they said in a posting on the official James Bond Twitter account.
The decision follows disappointing efforts to get Americans back into movie theaters after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered cinemas worldwide in March. It is also another setback for struggling cinema operators.
“Black Widow,” “West Side Story” and dozens of other films that were due out this year have also been pushed into 2021.
The Bond franchise is one of the movie world’s most lucrative, with 2015’s “Spectre” raking in $880 million at the box office worldwide, while “Skyfall” in 2012 grossed more than $1 billion globally.
“No Time to Die,” which cost an estimated $200 million to produce, marks actor Daniel Craig’s last outing as agent 007. It was originally scheduled for April 2020 but was moved at the start of the pandemic to November.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Leslie Adler and Rosalba O’Brien)
