'No Time To Die' Crew Scraps China Tour Due To Coronavirus

James Bond is one of those fictional characters who have an answer to every single problem. But it seems, he has finally met his match. The makers of the upcoming movie in the “007” franchise, “No Time To Die,” have decided to scrap the plans to visit and promote the film in China due to the life-threatening coronavirus.

According to a report, more than 70,000 theaters have been shut down since the deadly virus started spreading over the country. This will be a big dent to Daniel Craig’s last outing as James Bond. A source close to the makers and the studio further revealed that it would be virtually impossible for the stars to get a clearance for the premiere or any publicity even if the cinema halls start to open in April. The news has been confirmed by Deadline.

As per earlier estimates, the 25th film in the Bond franchise could have become the highest-grossing movie of the series to date. But it seems, it would be really difficult for the film to accumulate $1 billion or more at the global box office without getting released in China.

Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at Exhibitor Relations, revealed that if any studio or filmmaker has to make $1 billion worldwide, then they have to take China as one of their primary places. If a movie does not get released in China, there is a huge possibility that the studio might not be able to achieve the milestone.

“When you talk about film making $1 billion worldwide, you do not usually do it without a big chunk of that total coming from China,” Boker said.

However, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” did manage to make more than $1 billion worldwide without getting released in China.

The report also suggests that the release dates for the Oscar-nominated movies like Sam Mendes’ “1917,” Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” and Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” have also been postponed in China.

The upcoming film will see Bond enjoying his life in Jamaica. But his peace is short-lived when one of his friends from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be really hazardous when he meets a mysterious villain armed with a dangerous new technology.

The cast of “No Time To Die” includes Craig, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, as well as franchise newcomers Rami Malek, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, David Dencik, Billy Magnussen and Dali Benssalah.

In related news, the coronavirus epidemic in China is reportedly getting worse. As of late, the official toll from Covid-19 worldwide stands at 71,223 confirmed cases with 1,770 deaths.