James Bond film 'No Time to Die' postponed again by pandemic

The movie, which stars Daniel Craig, was supposed to open on April 2 but MGM announced it would push it to October 8.

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a shop promoting the new James Bond movie, "No Time To Die", as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in London, Britain, March 20, 2020.
Reuters

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a shop promoting the new James Bond movie, "No Time To Die", as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in London, Britain, March 20, 2020.

The global release of the James Bond movie "No Time to Die" has been postponed to October from April, another setback for movie theatres trying to rebuild a business crushed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The movie's new debut date is October 8, according to an announcement on the James Bond website and Twitter feed on Thursday.

"No Time to Die," from MGM and Comcast Corp's Universal Pictures, had originally been set to hit the big screen in April 2020 before moving to November 2020 and then April 2021.

The film, which cost an estimated $200 million to produce, marks actor Daniel Craig's last outing as agent 007.

READ MORE: James Bond flick ‘No Time to Die’ release pushed to 2021

Cinema owners were hoping "No Time to Die" would kick off a rebound in moviegoing. The pandemic devastated the film business in 2020, and ticket sales in the United States and Canada sunk 80 percent. That hurt independent theatres and big chains including AMC Entertainment, Cineworld Plc and Cinemark Holdings Inc.

With the virus still rampant in many areas, including in the key Los Angeles market, Hollywood studios appear reluctant to send their biggest films to theatres. Many cinemas are closed, and ones that are open enforce strict attendance limits to allow for social distancing.

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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.

The next closely watched movie is "Black Widow" from Walt Disney Co's Marvel Studios, currently scheduled to debut in theatres on May 7.

READ MORE: With 'No Time to Die,' Daniel Craig's licence as James Bond expires

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