HAS JAMES BOND KILLED CINEMA?
The delayed release of No Time To Die has caused shockwaves through the movie business
We’ll be honest – this feature was originally going to be a celebration of the new James Bond movie, No Time To Die, in the build-up to its long-delayed November release. We were going to highlight all the reasons we’re excited about the 25th entry in the franchise, originally due to hit cinemas back in April, from the fact that it’s
Daniel Craig’s absolutely definitely final run-out as Bond and stars the alwaysbrilliant Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody) as the main villain, to the bold choice of director (True Detective’s Cary Joji Fukunaga) and the contribution of Fleabag’s Phoebe Wallerbridge to the script.
Then the news broke that the film’s distributors Universal and
MGM had put the release back again, this time to Easter 2021. And everyone went into meltdown. But while the initial headlines suggested this news could mean the death of cinema, there are still reasons to be positive, with major films and potential blockbusters on the way. Plus, there’s a host of award-worthy new releases from streamers Netflix and Amazon, whose commitment to movies has never been stronger.
THE TENET EFFECT
As for the new delay to No Time To Die itself, the reason this felt like such a bombshell was that the hopes of reviving the film industry itself had increasingly, but perhaps unfairly, been pinned to the Bond film. The previous would-be blockbuster that was, in theory, going to rescue movie-going in the COVID era was Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending, deeply confusing time-travel epic Tenet. But despite the fact Tenet has so far made over $300million worldwide, which sounds quite impressive, the problem is its budget was a reported $200m, and big films only start to make money when their box office reaches twice the amount it cost to make the film in the first place, due to massive advertising and marketing costs. And while Tenet did pretty decent business in Europe and other international markets, it couldn’t surmount the simple problem that movie theatres in big US cities such as LA and New York still haven’t fully reopened.
BOND PUSHED BACK
Meanwhile, cinemas in the UK had done an impressive job reopening back in July. With COVID-SAFE measures in place, a steady stream of cinemagoers did return. But hopes still rested with the Bond film, which, remember, was one of the first major releases to be put back when coronavirus first struck.
A second wave of publicity for No Time To Die was in full swing only two weeks ago, with a special podcast series just launched, the music video for Billie Eilish’s theme tune premiered, and a new poster campaign arrived with the November release date front and centre. In the end, though, with the pandemic itself not going away, and Tenet not making enough money to reassure distributors they could make a profit on blockbuster releases right now, Bond’s latest mission was officially shifted another six months to next April – a whole year after its original date.
ALL EYES ON WONDER WOMAN
The impact of the Bond delay was immediate, with Cineworld closing all its cinemas a week later – at least temporarily – and our thoughts are with the staff who did such a good job reopening them. But, thankfully, at time of writing there are plenty of cinemas staying open for business, and plenty of exciting films ready to be screened in them. Independent cinemas are leading the way, as are indie movies such as the brilliantly chilling horror yarn Saint Maud, released last week.
As for blockbusters, there are still a handful of them due to arrive before the end of the year, led by the highly anticipated sequel to Wonder Woman, from director Patty Jenkins (who made the first movie), with Gal Gadot reprising the title role. With a reported budget not far short of Tenet’s $200m, getting the release of this key DC universe franchise entry right will be crucial for its distributor Warner Bros.
NETFLIX AND FILM
Then there are the streamers, led
‘There are still a handful of blockbusters due to arrive’
by Netflix, who have a pretty impressive slate of big films coming out over the next few months. And many of them, such as Netflix’s The Trial Of The Chicago 7, which earned a five-star review in heat last week, will be shown in cinemas before they are available to stream.
Netflix is clearly aiming for more Oscars recognition than ever, with an array of high-quality prestige movies, including Chadwick Boseman’s last film before his recent tragic death, an adaptation of legendary stage play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, also starring Viola Davis; Mank from Gone Girl director David Fincher, about the making of Citizen Kane, often regarded as the best film ever made and starring Gary Oldman; and George Clooney’s new directorial effort, The Midnight Sky, in which he also stars as a beardy scientist trying to save a team of astronauts from disaster. Amazon Prime also has One Night In Miami on the way, an award-worthy drama about a 1964 gathering of black American legends Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and American footballer Jim Brown. And One Night In Miami will also be shown in cinemas before dropping on Prime Video.
However disappointing it is that the new Bond film is six months away, there are enough tantalising movies still arriving imminently to ensure that this is no time to die for the cinema-going experience. n