No Time to Die sets its world premiere date, serving as something of a re-confirmation for the film's release plans. The upcoming James Bond movie was the first major studio blockbuster to be delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. At one point, No Time to Die was scheduled to come out in April 2020, but its release date has been pushed back several times over the past year. It's now settled into an October 2021 window.
Recently, however, there's been some consternation over the movie release schedule for the remainder of 2021. With the COVID-19 Delta variant spreading, causing new cases to rise across the country, there have already been more changes made to the schedule. Clifford the Big Red Dog was moved indefinitely, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage shifted from September to October. Since moviegoers are feeling less confident about returning to theaters right now, there's been some question if other fall movies would move. In the case of No Time to Die, it seems to be set.
Today, the official James Bond Twitter account announced the No Time to Die world premiere will take place on Tuesday, September 28. The event will be held at Royal Albert Hall in London. Check out the post below:
While this doesn't mean No Time to Die's release date won't be delayed again, it is an indication MGM is moving forward with the film's long-delayed release. If the filmmakers didn't feel like movie would come out as scheduled, they likely would not have planned the world premiere. In fact, it may not be financially feasible for No Time to Die to be delayed again. Another delay would cost MGM millions of dollars and increase marketing costs even further. No Time to Die is already reportedly the most expensive Bond film ever made, so the studio is in a tight spot. With that in mind, they arguably don't have much of a choice.
Considering No Time to Die keeps its current release date, it will be interesting to see how it performs at the box office. There have been encouraging signs this summer, including recent hit Free Guy surpassing expectations. Still, the marketplace continues to feel the impact of the pandemic, as box office numbers are nowhere close to 2019 levels yet. There's still a long way to go, especially if the Delta variant continues to spread. Ideally, things will have improved by the time October rolls around, but it's very difficult to predict how the next month turns out. What's more is No Time to Die is a theatrical exclusive release, meaning MGM can't bank on an alternate revenue source like Disney+'s Premier Access.
Source: James Bond
