James Bond, No Time to Die, postponed due to coronavirus outbreak

Daniel Craig’s fifth and final James Bond film, No Time to Die, has been postponed as the coronavirus cripples the box office.

The release of the upcoming James Bond film, No Time to Die, has been pushed back from April to November 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Instead of its planned April release, the 25th instalment in the British spy franchise, and Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007, will hit theatres in the UK on November 12 and in the US and Australia on November 25.

It’s the first Hollywood film to change its release schedule due to the virus.

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MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd

— James Bond (@007) March 4, 2020

“MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020,” a statement from the movie’s official Twitter read.

No Time to Die was originally scheduled for a March 31 world premiere in London and a North American and Australian debut on April 10 but the spread of the virus has led to theatres closing in Italy, South Korea, China, and Japan.

The film stars Craig in his fifth and final Bond film, as well as Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, and Christoph Waltz.

It’s been four years since we got our last Bond fix. Picture: Sony Pictures

Oscar-winner Rami Malek joined the cast as Bond’s next nemesis along with franchise newcomers Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch.

No Time to Die was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.

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It was one of the biggest upcoming movie releases, alongside Disney’s live action Mulan remake, set to be released at the end of this month, as well as Fast & Furious 9, which has a May release.

They are yet to be postponed.

In China, the world’s second biggest movie market, all of its 70,000 cinemas have been closed since late January when the COVID-19 outbreak was first reported.

According to Comscore data quoted in Variety, China’s box office in January and February this year has totalled $US238 million compared to $US2.14 billion for same period in 2019. That equates to a revenue loss of $US1.91 billion.

Hollywood movies that were due for release earlier this year in China have been postponed indefinitely, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Doolittle, 1917, Little Women and Jojo Rabbit.

Parts of this story originally appeared on Fox News and have been reproduced here with permission