Licence to kill... germs: Bond fans beg studios in open letter to delay No Time To Die release over coronavirus fears as outbreak puts Albert Hall premiere in doubt after Asia tour is cancelled
- Fan website MI6-HQ posted an open letter to MGM and Universal on Monday
- Letter urged studios 'to put public health above marketing release schedules'
- Situation in China has already delayed the film's Hong Kong release to April 30
- Publicity tours in China, South Korea and Japan have been scrapped
- But world premiere for No Time To Die is still scheduled for London on March 31
Fans of James Bond are asking the studios behind No Time To Die to postpone the release of the new 007 movie because of the coronavirus.
The 25th Bond adventure is set to be released later this month with a rollout starting in Europe in London on March 31 before moving to North America until April 10.
But yesterday, the fan website MI6-HQ posted an open letter in which it said it was time for MGM and Universal 'to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events'.
Concerns: Daniel Craig's James Bond swansong No Time To Die is due out in early April but some fans asked the studios on Monday to delay the release over coronavirus fears
The fan website MI6-HQ posted an open letter in which it said it was time for MGM and Universal 'to put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events'
The situation in China has already prompted the studios to move the release of the film in Hong Kong to April 30 and to cancel the film's publicity tours in China, South Korea and Japan.
However, the world premiere for No Time To Die is still scheduled to take place in London at the Royal Albert Hall on March 31.
The situation in the Far East has prompted estimates that box office takings could be hit by up to tens of millions of pounds globally. It comes after China was the highest grossing foreign country for the previous Bond film, Spectre.
The fan website is suggesting the release be pushed back to the summer amid fears that the spread of coronavirus might lead to the closure of cinemas or keep people from wanting to go to see the film at movie theatres.
'With a month to go before 'No Time To Die' opens worldwide, community spread of the virus is likely to be peaking in the United States,' the open letter said.
Statement: Fan site MI6-HQ posted an open letter saying MGM and Universal should 'put public health above marketing release schedules and the cost of canceling publicity events'
Crisis: The situation in China has already prompted the studios to push back release of the film in Hong Kong to April 30 and to cancel publicity tours in China, South Korea and Japan. Pictured, a woman wearing a mask walks past a No Time To Die poster in Bangkok last week
'There is a significant chance that cinemas will be closed, or their attendance severely reduced, by early April. Even if there are no legal restrictions on cinemas being open, to quote M in Skyfall, 'how safe do you feel?''
The world premiere screening is set for London's Royal Albert Hall which has a capacity of more than 5,000, the limit affected countries are now banning for public gatherings.
'Just one person, who may not even show symptoms, could infect the rest of the audience. This is not the type of publicity anyone wants,' the MI6-HQ letter stated.
'The UK and US outbreaks are in their early stages, but if they follow the predictable pattern of other developed countries, the situation by late March and early April will not be conducive to the box-office.'
Difficult situation: 'We have all waited over 4 years for this film. Another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box-office for Daniel Craig's final hurrah,' the open letter said. Pictured, Daniel Craig in NYC on Monday, his 52nd birthday
Want release pushed to summer: The letter concluded: 'It's just a movie. The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important'
The letter concluded: 'It's just a movie. The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important.'
'We have all waited over 4 years for this film. Another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box-office for Daniel Craig's final hurrah.'
As of Monday, there have been more than 89,000 cases of the COVUD-19 virus globally, the majority in China, according to Reuters.
Outside China, it has spread to 66 countries, with more than 8,800 cases and 130 deaths. Globally, it has killed more than 3,000 people.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists more than 90 cases across the United States, a large bulk of them patients who were repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise liner that had been quarantined in Japan.
Entertainment - Latest - Google News
March 03, 2020 at 11:59AM
https://ift.tt/3afZ9DY
Bond fans ask studios in open letter to delay release of No Time To Die over coronavirus fears - Daily Mail
Entertainment - Latest - Google News
https://ift.tt/2AM12Zq
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Bond fans ask studios in open letter to delay release of No Time To Die over coronavirus fears - Daily Mail"
Post a Comment