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 corona virus.
The 25th Bond adventure is set to be released in April with a rollout starting in Europe on the 2nd of the month and continuing until the 10th in North America.
But on Monday, 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 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 on March 31.
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.
‘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?”‘
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
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.’
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.’
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
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.
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’