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Daniel Craig
Image Credit: AFP
The premiere of the James Bond film “ No Time To Die ” has been delayed again, this time until 2021, due to the effects of COVID-19 on the theatrical business.
MGM, Universal and Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said on Twitter Friday that the 25th installment of the franchise will now open globally on April 2, 2021.
“No Time To Die” was originally supposed to premiere in April 2020, but was delayed until November 12 in the UK and November 20 in the US. It was one of the first Hollywood films to leave. its release before theaters in the US closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga’s film stars Daniel Craig as 007, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, and Ana de Armas.
In a related move, Universal moved its “F9,” the ninth installment in the “Fast & Furious” franchise starring Vin Diesel, to May 28. Its previous release date of April 2 would have put it in direct competition with Bond.
Other major studies have made similar decisions in recent weeks.
Theaters remain closed in New York and Los Angeles, two of the largest markets in North America.
Ticket sales for Warner Bros. ‘”Tenet,” the first blockbuster to hit theaters around the world after months of coronavirus-related closures, has not been as strong as expected in the US.
Last week, the Walt Disney Co. delayed scheduled 2020 releases of a handful of major movies until 2021. They include Marvel’s “Black Widow” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” Universal delayed “Candyman” until next year.
Some major releases are still planned for 2020. They include “Wonder Woman 1984,” which was pushed back until Christmas after multiple delays, and the Kenneth Branagh mystery “Death on the Nile.” It is now scheduled for December 18.
