Another No Time to Die release date delay is possible, Hollywood insiders warn. The upcoming James Bond movie is currently scheduled to come out in October, after being pushed back several times during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as other planned fall releases, like Top Gun: Maverick, endure further delays, the prevailing belief has been No Time to Die will stay put in its current window. This is because another postponement would be an expensive proposition for MGM, and No Time to Die is already reportedly the most expensive Bond film ever made.
In recent weeks, there's been evidence pointing towards No Time to Die keeping its release date. MGM has set the film's world premiere for late September and downplayed any delay concerns during their presentation at CinemaCon 2021. The final No Time to Die trailer was also released, as the studio looks to kick off the homestretch of the prolonged marketing campaign. All of that suggests No Time to Die is safe, but it's apparently not a guarantee yet.
A report in Variety analyzing the potential fallout from Top Gun: Maverick's delay to 2022 has a passage concerning No Time to Die. In it, it's implied another release date delay could happen, particularly if box office grosses do not increase over the next month. Check out what the report says below:
Unless movie theaters witness a notable boost in attendance, insiders believe “No Time to Die” may have no choice but to move. That’s because veteran producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who have unprecedented control over the venerable film franchise, are unlikely to allow the 007 adventure to debut simultaneously on streaming platforms, which would cushion the blow from depressed ticket sales. Keeping the 25th installment in the long-running British spy series in theaters, at least at a time when audiences have expressed increased apprehension about going to the movies, remains risky because Bond entries are enormously expensive undertakings and need to generate hundreds of millions in the hopes of breaking even.
This summer saw some encouraging signs that theaters were on the road to recovery, with titles like A Quiet Place Part II and F9 performing well, given the circumstances. However, the box office continues to be impacted by the pandemic, with the Delta variant spread causing new cases to spike. Audiences feel less safe going to theaters now than they did earlier in the year, which could certainly impact No Time to Die's box office prospects. MGM, like most of the film industry, will likely be watching how Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings performs before making a final decision. Shang-Chi's box office may have a domino effect on the rest of the fall calendar, as it's possible Eternals is also delayed depending on what happens.
No Time to Die is in a tricky spot. As a theatrical exclusive, MGM doesn't have something akin to Disney+'s Premier Access program to fall back on as an additional revenue source. Since Bond movies are expensive endeavors, MGM would prefer it releases at a time when the box office was more reliable and the studio could feel confident about turning a profit on their investment. On the other hand, No Time to Die can't just sit on the shelf forever waiting for the right moment, especially with the unpredictability of the pandemic. The longer the movie waits to release, the greater the risk it becomes stale (at one point, it was supposed to come out in April 2020). MGM may have to bite the bullet, put out No Time to Die this fall, and just hope for the best.
Source: Variety
