As governments and world health organisations across the globe scramble to contain the spread of the coronavirus, its impact upon every sector of the economy, including the entertainment industry, continues to grow.
News has just been announced via the official James Bond Twitter account that the release date for the new James Bond film No Time To Die has been pushed back seven months due to the virus outbreak.
The statement read : "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."
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
The film, which stars Daniel Craig as 007, was set to be released in UK cinemas from 2 April this year. Stars had been expected to converge on London for the world premiere of the film at the Royal Albert Hall on 31 March.
It will now be released in the UK on 12 November and the US on 25 November.
Other major blows to the entertainment industry according to The Washington Post include the shutting down of nearly all of China’s cinemas after the covid-19 strain began spreading in Wuhan. Entertainment news service, Variety, has reported that the Chinese box office has already plummeted $1.91 billion over the first two months of the year as a result of the shutdowns.
Filming of Mission Impossible VII was shut down in Italy at the end of February by Paramount Pictures as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the northern part of the country, and major Chinese film releases that have been delayed include Detective Chinatown 3 and Lost in Russia.
Disney has also decided to delay the release of Mulan - chief executive of Disney, Bob Iger announced that the Chinese release date will be delayed indefinitely. The live-action adaptation of the classic story will be released March 27 in the United States.
R&B singer-songwriter Khalid became one of the first American artists in February to postpone a concert tour, he was followed shortly after that by Green Day, who were supposed to tour Asia, and CBS has halted production on the Amazing Race.
And a number of high profile representatives including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey have cancelled their plans to speak at South by Southwest – an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas.
