Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the new James Bond film “No Time to Die” has cancelled its Beijing premiere as well as a promotional tour with talent in April, according to Chinese reports.
The film, which marks star Daniel Craig’s last turn as the iconic spy, is set to debut in North America on April 10.
Chinese cinemas and huge swathes of the world’s second largest economy have been shut since the country’s lunar new year holiday last month. Even if theaters reopen in April in time for the film to screen, Chinese fans will be unable to catch Craig and the film’s other stars in the flesh, as they have been advised to stay out of the country at that time, a Chinese report said.
The novel coronavirus, which first appeared in China’s Hubei province, has now infected more than 71,000 people globally and killed 1,775, including five people outside of mainland China.
The releases for all Valentine’s Day films in the country and most of its other February titles have been cancelled, with no end in sight for cinema closures as citizens across the country remain in enforced self-quarantine, rarely venturing outside their homes.
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China is one of the most important overseas markets for the Bond franchise, and was the highest grossing overseas territory for its last installment, “Spectre,” other than the U.K. That film, also starring Craig, made $881 million worldwide, $84 million of which came from China.
Craig recently appeared in the murder mystery “Knives Out,” which was released in China in November and went on to gross $28 million in the country. This far outstripped its haul in all other territories, including the U.K., where it made $17 million.