The release of the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die has been pushed back to November, the film's producers said on Wednesday.
The decision came as high-profile events across the world were cancelled or postponed over coronavirus fears.
The producers said the decision to delay the film was made after "careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace".
Cinemas have been shut and public gatherings restricted in several countries to help control the spread of coronavirus.
Health authorities in Italy’s affluent north, battling Europe’s worst outbreak of the virus, quickly clamped down on public gatherings and shut cinemas outright soon after cases began to multiply.
MGM, Universal and Bond producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, announced today that after careful consideration and thorough evaluation of the global theatrical marketplace, the release of NO TIME TO DIE will be postponed until November 2020. pic.twitter.com/a9h1RP5OKd
— James Bond (@007) March 4, 2020
In China, the second-largest box-office market in the world, cinemas have been shut in huge numbers since January.
More than 70,000 screens have been shut as part of the country’s containment measures which could cost the film industry as much as $2 billion (Dh7.3 billion) in lost revenue.
Cinemas have also been closed in South Korea, Japan and France.
The latest instalment of the long-running blockbuster franchise was due in cinemas on April 10.
The highly anticipated film stars Daniel Craig in what will be his final appearance as the legendary British spy.
This most recent delay to the film’s release is the latest in a troubled production period.
The film hit headlines when Danny Boyle, then signed on to direct, quit the project citing “creative differences” with bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
An ankle injury suffered by Daniel Craig while filming put the star out of action for weeks.
That incident was followed by a series of on-set explosions which injured a crew member and added to the film’s fraught birth.
The film’s new release date in the UK has been set for November 12, with the US release following on November 25.
