Back in March, Daniel Craig’s fifth and final James Bond movie was delayed from an April release date to November 12. Bond 25, which became No Time To Die, had already moved from October 2019 to February this year. And now it looks likely that the new 007 movie will probably movie to Summer 2021.
The 2020 Summer reopening of cinemas keeps being pushed back with Tenet and Mulan’s release dates jumping back a couple of weeks at a time.
While major UK cinema chains don’t plan to reopen until at least July 31.
Even so, some studios have been postponing their autumn releases to next year, such as Universal’s Halloween Kills.
The horror film was set for release just a few weeks before No Time To Die, which the same studio is distributing internationally.
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And now Bond news site MI6 HQ reports through its sources that a Summer 2021 release for No Time To Die “is now underreported active consideration by MGM and Universal.”
A VOD streaming release is totally out of the question, with the studios being prepared to wait another year for a profitable box office if they have to.
Universal already have Fast and Furious 9 set for April 2021, having been delayed a year.
While dinosaur threequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is currently set for June 11, 2021.
The outlet’s insider said: “There are very secret discussions moving forward about what to do.”
The insider pointed out how Craig’s Bond movies have been great financially and at the end of the day, it’s the movie business, so decisions for the best possible box office have to be made.
Allegedly, if No Time To Die made less than half a billion it will “be deemed a disaster” by the studios involved.
But let’s also not forget that both Odeon and Cineworld’s owners are currently banning Universal Pictures movies.
Specifically because the Hollywood studio has announced a new business strategy of releasing its movies on-demand simultaneously or very near to their cinema dates.
In response, the cinema chains replied with savage open letters informing Universal they would not screen their movies if they stuck to this plan.
However, AMC theatres, which owns Odeon, stated in their quarterly earnings: “While we are in active dialogue with Universal, no movies made by Universal Studios are currently on our docket.”
No Time To Die is currently set for UK release on November 12, 2020.