Hopefully Craig and Ellish still appear on the Tonight Show Monday—it is James Bond Day after all. Probably too late to cancel and make the show find new guests.
Hopefully Craig and Ellish still appear on the Tonight Show Monday—it is James Bond Day after all. Probably too late to cancel and make the show find new guests.
Oh I wouldn't have thought so, plenty of time to cancel. Not ideal for anyone but not much point in doing it now.
See everyone saying that this damages the film's long-term prospects seem to be forgetting that Bond is (in normal times) one of a few golden-standard tentpoles.
I did more thinking and (I could be wrong) they must really be confident in this film's quality and ability to make the big bucks. They really want DC to get another billion dollar total going out and I think they could get it. As Number24 said, it is highly likely that by April there will be a vaccine available for the vulnerable populations as well as workers which will dramatically change the circumstance regarding the virus and make relatively riskier behaviors less risky.
Cinema is indeed in the DNA of bond. But I don't think they have a choice here. This virus could be with us for years. What if the virus is still bad in 5 years time, and cinemas are still too risky? Cinemas could even be dead by then. It's awful, but they have no choice or control on this.
Nearing April 2021, there will probably be another delay to November 2021, and so on, and fans will lose faith and interest with each delay.
IMO VOD is the only thing they can do now.
All you say could come to pass.
But if they want a theatrical release they don't have any choice today but to delay. And they're making the same decision, Marvel, DC and others did over the last few weeks.
Well this is a bit disappointing, to say the least. What with all the promotion starting up lately, it genuinely looked like Eon were dead set on releasing in November somehow...
But...the BBC and other reputable news sites are now reporting that it is plausible that there'll be a vaccine, and presumably thus some form of normality, in spring 2021. If there's a proper return to normality by then we could see NTTD making $1 billion, and thus ending Craig's tenure on a high- which is what Eon want above all else. That would be the ideal situation for fans too, remember. NTTD is still something to look forward to post coronavirus, we just need to be patient and stay positive.
October 5th they should announce dropping on VOD and put everyone out of their misery.
You've already killed the theatres by delaying anyway. How many cinemas will still be in business for next year?
“The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning. "
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
October 5th they should announce dropping on VOD and put everyone out of their misery.
You've already killed the theatres by delaying anyway. How many cinemas will still be in business for next year?
They did not kill theaters. An existential threat combined with ineffective responses by governments "killed" theaters. Governments could just, you know, cut checks to theaters to cover fixed costs until operations resume.
October 5th they should announce dropping on VOD and put everyone out of their misery.
You've already killed the theatres by delaying anyway. How many cinemas will still be in business for next year?
They did not kill theaters. An existential threat combined with ineffective responses by governments "killed" theaters. Governments could just, you know, cut checks to theaters to cover fixed costs until operations resume.
Theaters are open in much of the US and, guess what, people aren't going. Business owners may want people to behave as if there is no pandemic, but we won't. I have no doubt that cinema will be changed forever by this. But so will many things. Restaurants, airline travel, business meetings, fashion, etc.
The thing about this latest postponement that galls me is thinking of all the delays prior to the pandemic. If they'd even stuck with their February 14, 2020 date, they'd have been fine and had the highest grossing film of the year. The movie would be have made a mint on-demand and Blu-Ray while people were stuck at home, too.
I simply cannot second all if the „right move/ smart decision“-commentaries over on Instagram.
This is getting ridiculous, we‘ve got the 5th release date/ 4th postponement for this movie now.
EON is trying to sit things out, casually postponing the thing ever so close to the actual release.
Member Miles Messervy has said it quite correctly:
They waste to much time in between the movies, this time it was waiting forever and a day for DC to make his mind up and then the debacle with the directors.
Truth is: nobody knows where the world will be going in the forseeable future let alone April next year so it’s bloody optimistic of them to postpone it to then.
Pretty sure the average movie-goer/ casual Bond-fan will loose interest at a certain point.
They should really face the facts and come to terms with alternate ways of distribution!
smfh
I simply cannot second all if the „right move/ smart decision“-commentaries over on Instagram.
This is getting ridiculous, we‘ve got the 5th release date/ 4th postponement for this movie now.
EON is trying to sit things out, casually postponing the thing ever so close to the actual release.
Member Miles Messervy has said it quite correctly:
They waste to much time in between the movies, this time it was waiting forever and a day for DC to make his mind up and then the debacle with the directors.
Truth is: nobody knows where the world will be going in the forseeable future let alone April next year so it’s bloody optimistic of them to postpone it to then.
Pretty sure the average movie-goer/ casual Bond-fan will loose interest at a certain point.
They should really face the facts and come to terms with alternate ways of distribution!
smfh
Most casual, general audience types don't know a film's release until they see ads for it. People's memories are fickle and short — once it's March and they see ads during the March Madness games, they'll go see it.
I just hope that when we get closer to April and the marketing starts up again, we don’t get too much more footage released—need to save something for the actual movie.
They don't need to tell the future, they can see the present
I know they can see the present, that's not my point, my point is - why April 2021? The world might be no better at that point.
So I say they should have just released it VOD and accept it won't do as well financially.
I know the world is in a terrible state, I'm not denying it, but it's when they promise release dates that gets on my nerves. They can't promise April 2021, unless they have that crystal ball.
They didn't promise you April 2021. They announced their new plan. No one on that side owes us anything. They will change the date again mid-March if it makes financial sense to do so.
If they only had to worry about catering to Bond's fanbase, they'd be making these much more cheaply and dropping them on Netflix. You don't get billion-dollar box office catering to the core fanbase.
The podcast and the Eilish video dropping this week suggest this was a bit of a last-minute decision, probably triggered by having to make a decision to pay for a new TV campaign (which, it's worth noting, had not started yet).
They didn't promise you April 2021. They announced their new plan. No one on that side owes us anything.
No release date is a promise technically, everything is conditional. But by announcing that specific date, people will get attached and if it gets delayed again it will be an even further bummer. I just think they should VOD it, as tragic as that is. We are in a pandemic which cannot be controlled or predicted unfortunately.
They didn't promise you April 2021. They announced their new plan. No one on that side owes us anything.
No release date is a promise technically, everything is conditional. But by announcing that specific date, people will get attached and if it gets delayed again it will be an even further bummer. I just think they should VOD it, as tragic as that is. We are in a pandemic which cannot be controlled or predicted unfortunately.
There's every indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples. Tenet is limping (and actually harming theaters by being open).
ry indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples. Tenet is limping (and actually harming th
I understand your point. But.... what if Covid is with us for another decade, what if cinemas die, what then?
ry indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples. Tenet is limping (and actually harming th
I understand your point. But.... what if Covid is with us for another decade, what if cinemas die, what then?
Then the whole model will shift, but that model doesn't exist yet. Movie release strategies have become a bit like weather predictions, and until the studios all land on a model that works (it wasn't Mulan; it wasn't Tenet), it's going to be like watching a really long and boring game of chess. They're literally making it up as they go along because it's all they can do.
They don't need to tell the future, they can see the present
I know they can see the present, that's not my point, my point is - why April 2021? The world might be no better at that point.
So I say they should have just released it VOD and accept it won't do as well financially.
I know the world is in a terrible state, I'm not denying it, but it's when they promise release dates that gets on my nerves. They can't promise April 2021, unless they have that crystal ball.
They didn't promise you April 2021. They announced their new plan. No one on that side owes us anything. They will change the date again mid-March if it makes financial sense to do so.
If they only had to worry about catering to Bond's fanbase, they'd be making these much more cheaply and dropping them on Netflix. You don't get billion-dollar box office catering to the core fanbase.
I agree. Studios have put a lot of money into these big modern films and they will only release them when they're able to make the most money back. Unfortunately for those that want to see the movie as soon as possible, this means releasing the movie via VOD is not a viable option. Studios would definitely have monitored Mulan's VOD release and then seen how little it's managed to make.
And remember, it's not just Bond that's pushing release dates. You've also got movies like Soul (Pixar), Black Widow (Marvel), Wonder Woman 1984 (DC), The Kings Man, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun Maverick etc etc etc. These are huge movies with huge fanbases...and huge budgets...and they're being pushed until they can actually make $$ back.
ry indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples. Tenet is limping (and actually harming th
I understand your point. But.... what if Covid is with us for another decade, what if cinemas die, what then?
Then the industry will change operations, but there is no immediate and rational question about the going concern of the entire theater industry as of this moment.
So in April when nothing is better will they just stream the bloody film? Or will we spend the next 2 years the way we have spent the last 2: waiting every six months for a premier that is perpetually delayed! X-( This is why the years spent waiting for Craig and then chasing flashy directors is so costly. When you fail to control the things you should, you get burned even worse by the things you don’t control.
Just saw the Trailer in the Cinema (TENET) It was truly underwhelming. Grumpy Seydoux (again) Catatonic Waltz (again) 'Where's Bond ' (again) I swear he's even still wearing the same Chinos. Betrayal (again)...give me strength. I am really trying to look forward to a fitting final instalment for Craig but fear that this wont be it.
So 2021 22 ...dont really care. Of course I'll see it and do my very best to like it but really unenthused. They have run out of ideas. Only upside is that Daniel looks great and there are some nice light touches of humour that suit his style.
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
I know they can see the present, that's not my point, my point is - why April 2021? The world might be no better at that point.
So I say they should have just released it VOD and accept it won't do as well financially.
I know the world is in a terrible state, I'm not denying it, but it's when they promise release dates that gets on my nerves. They can't promise April 2021, unless they have that crystal ball.
I know, but theatrical release and big screen experience is in the DNA of Bond. It's event cinema. They will resist and resist and resist VoD, rightly or wrongly. I lean the former by preference.
They're taking the same punt other movies are that 2021 will have seen progress. They're obviously balancing that against wanting to get the film out ASAP so they've gone for what they probably see as the minimum viable delay of 6 months as opposed to late 21 which might be safer but maybe difficult for all sorts of reasons.
It sucks but they're just following their own profile and the rest of the industry.
Cinema is indeed in the DNA of bond. But I don't think they have a choice here. This virus could be with us for years. What if the virus is still bad in 5 years time, and cinemas are still too risky? Cinemas could even be dead by then. It's awful, but they have no choice or control on this.
Nearing April 2021, there will probably be another delay to November 2021, and so on, and fans will lose faith and interest with each delay.
IMO VOD is the only thing they can do now.
I don't think fans or the general public will lose faith in Bond during these delays, I think they behave like people walking in a desert finding an oasis.
Covid -19 will perhaps be with us in five years, but only in a much lesser way than now. Perhaps the poorest countries are still trying to control it. In the developed world I think we 'll have some cases popping up now and then, but the pandemic will have faded into the background.
Cinema attendence may have gone furter down, but if cina dies it will tak emany more years.
The decision to delay till April makes commercial sense, and the stated aim to reach a global theatrical audience holds on to an idea that the cinema remains Bond's first port of call.
I'd already made a personal decision that if NTTD had been released next month I wouldn't be going to the cinema to see it. (I'm a professional key worker on a front line, but I'm also avoiding public venues for recreation and leisure purposes, for the time being, even when they're taking "Covid-secure" mitigation measures.)
While November remained on the cards, I'd resigned myself to waiting for a home entertainment release, avoiding all reviews and spoilers till then, and missing out on seeing a new Bond in the cinema for the first time since 1972.
So personally I not only understand the decision for a further delay but welcome it.
Who knows whether global cinema-going will be any more of a realistic proposition by April (the "global" part seems doubtful)? But at this point it's too early to give up altogether on the idea of a theatrical release being the principal medium of debut.
Critics and material I don't need. I haven't changed my act in 53 years.
So in April when nothing is better will they just stream the bloody film? Or will we spend the next 2 years the way we have spent the last 2: waiting every six months for a premier that is perpetually delayed! X-( This is why the years spent waiting for Craig and then chasing flashy directors is so costly. When you fail to control the things you should, you get burned even worse by the things you don’t control.
Just saw the Trailer in the Cinema (TENET) It was truly underwhelming. Grumpy Seydoux (again) Catatonic Waltz (again) 'Where's Bond ' (again) I swear he's even still wearing the same Chinos. Betrayal (again)...give me strength. I am really trying to look forward to a fitting final instalment for Craig but fear that this wont be it.
So 2021 22 ...dont really care. Of course I'll see it and do my very best to like it but really unenthused. They have run out of ideas. Only upside is that Daniel looks great and there are some nice light touches of humour that suit his style.
I agree with you. Probably many here on the forum don’t. The initial excitement and fervour from the first trailer has now disappeared. I don’t think that can be regenerated now as we have had too much exposure to the storyline and clips of the movie. I think it’s a bad decision. The second wave was expected its only common sense after we’ve been in lockdown But we need to try and get some normality back. The worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines, the Serum Institute of Indian-has said there will not be enough supplies for universal inoculation until 2024 at the earliest.
So in April when nothing is better will they just stream the bloody film? Or will we spend the next 2 years the way we have spent the last 2: waiting every six months for a premier that is perpetually delayed! X-( This is why the years spent waiting for Craig and then chasing flashy directors is so costly. When you fail to control the things you should, you get burned even worse by the things you don’t control.
Just saw the Trailer in the Cinema (TENET) It was truly underwhelming. Grumpy Seydoux (again) Catatonic Waltz (again) 'Where's Bond ' (again) I swear he's even still wearing the same Chinos. Betrayal (again)...give me strength. I am really trying to look forward to a fitting final instalment for Craig but fear that this wont be it.
So 2021 22 ...dont really care. Of course I'll see it and do my very best to like it but really unenthused. They have run out of ideas. Only upside is that Daniel looks great and there are some nice light touches of humour that suit his style.
I agree with you. Probably many here on the forum don’t. The initial excitement and fervour from the first trailer has now disappeared. I don’t think that can be regenerated now as we have had too much exposure to the storyline and clips of the movie. I think it’s a bad decision. The second wave was expected its only common sense after we’ve been in lockdown But we need to try and get some normality back. The worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines, the Serum Institute of Indian-has said there will not be enough supplies for universal inoculation until 2024 at the earliest.
We don't need universal inoculation, though. If there's vaccinations for health care workers and vulnerable populations, the threat drops significantly.
The virus isn't going anywhere (only one virus has ever been eliminated). Vaccinating even just those populations would do a significant amount to return to normalcy.
So in April when nothing is better will they just stream the bloody film? Or will we spend the next 2 years the way we have spent the last 2: waiting every six months for a premier that is perpetually delayed! X-( This is why the years spent waiting for Craig and then chasing flashy directors is so costly. When you fail to control the things you should, you get burned even worse by the things you don’t control.
Just saw the Trailer in the Cinema (TENET) It was truly underwhelming. Grumpy Seydoux (again) Catatonic Waltz (again) 'Where's Bond ' (again) I swear he's even still wearing the same Chinos. Betrayal (again)...give me strength. I am really trying to look forward to a fitting final instalment for Craig but fear that this wont be it.
So 2021 22 ...dont really care. Of course I'll see it and do my very best to like it but really unenthused. They have run out of ideas. Only upside is that Daniel looks great and there are some nice light touches of humour that suit his style.
+1. The absolute worst part about another delay for me is that it delays a new Bond and a new direction for the franchise even further. Perhaps it will be a worse direction than the current one, but the Craig tenure has felt stale since 2015 and none of this is helping.
"+1. The absolute worst part about another delay for me is that it delays a new Bond and a new direction for the franchise even further. Perhaps it will be a worse direction than the current one, but the Craig tenure has felt stale since 2015 and none of this is helping."
I agree that I'm probably more interested to see the direction for B26 now than in NTTD- but it's important to keep in mind that the general public don't tend to think like this. Cinemagoers will be champing at the bit to see "the new James Bond film", regardless. The five and a half year gap could even help NTTD by increasing hype and affection among the public, similar to the very long break in between LTK and GoldenEye.
Talking about delays and preparing for the worst scenario. If by April the movie can't be shown in theaters due to the pandemic situation, do you think they'll keep delaying it or will take some measurements like a VOD/Blue-Ray dvd release?
Talking about delays and preparing for the worst scenario. If by April the movie can't be shown in theaters due to the pandemic situation, do you think they'll keep delaying it or will take some measurements like a VOD/Blue-Ray dvd release?
There's every indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples.
I think they‘re that „stubborn“ and keep delaying it.
They constantly paint themselves in a corner with these set release dates, though. Smartest (reputation-wise) move would be to record a video message with the producers explaining they‘re delaying it indefinitely.
Painful obviously, but that way you don’t look like a doofus every 6 months and throw marketing money out the window.
But that should have been done with the second delay, it doesn’t matter anymore now...
On a side note: I‘m also genuinely veeeery interested in seeing where cinemas in general will be going in the forseeable future. NTTD was kinda the savior for this year’s season.
Comments
Seems like they heard you!
Yep, probably going to piss off FNF fans who aren’t into Bond.
https://mobile.twitter.com/RottenTomatoes/status/1312150230616342528
Oh I wouldn't have thought so, plenty of time to cancel. Not ideal for anyone but not much point in doing it now.
See everyone saying that this damages the film's long-term prospects seem to be forgetting that Bond is (in normal times) one of a few golden-standard tentpoles.
I did more thinking and (I could be wrong) they must really be confident in this film's quality and ability to make the big bucks. They really want DC to get another billion dollar total going out and I think they could get it. As Number24 said, it is highly likely that by April there will be a vaccine available for the vulnerable populations as well as workers which will dramatically change the circumstance regarding the virus and make relatively riskier behaviors less risky.
All you say could come to pass.
But if they want a theatrical release they don't have any choice today but to delay. And they're making the same decision, Marvel, DC and others did over the last few weeks.
But...the BBC and other reputable news sites are now reporting that it is plausible that there'll be a vaccine, and presumably thus some form of normality, in spring 2021. If there's a proper return to normality by then we could see NTTD making $1 billion, and thus ending Craig's tenure on a high- which is what Eon want above all else. That would be the ideal situation for fans too, remember. NTTD is still something to look forward to post coronavirus, we just need to be patient and stay positive.
"The spectre of defeat..."
You've already killed the theatres by delaying anyway. How many cinemas will still be in business for next year?
-Casino Royale, Ian Fleming
They did not kill theaters. An existential threat combined with ineffective responses by governments "killed" theaters. Governments could just, you know, cut checks to theaters to cover fixed costs until operations resume.
Theaters are open in much of the US and, guess what, people aren't going. Business owners may want people to behave as if there is no pandemic, but we won't. I have no doubt that cinema will be changed forever by this. But so will many things. Restaurants, airline travel, business meetings, fashion, etc.
The thing about this latest postponement that galls me is thinking of all the delays prior to the pandemic. If they'd even stuck with their February 14, 2020 date, they'd have been fine and had the highest grossing film of the year. The movie would be have made a mint on-demand and Blu-Ray while people were stuck at home, too.
Agree!
Most casual, general audience types don't know a film's release until they see ads for it. People's memories are fickle and short — once it's March and they see ads during the March Madness games, they'll go see it.
They didn't promise you April 2021. They announced their new plan. No one on that side owes us anything. They will change the date again mid-March if it makes financial sense to do so.
If they only had to worry about catering to Bond's fanbase, they'd be making these much more cheaply and dropping them on Netflix. You don't get billion-dollar box office catering to the core fanbase.
The podcast and the Eilish video dropping this week suggest this was a bit of a last-minute decision, probably triggered by having to make a decision to pay for a new TV campaign (which, it's worth noting, had not started yet).
No release date is a promise technically, everything is conditional. But by announcing that specific date, people will get attached and if it gets delayed again it will be an even further bummer. I just think they should VOD it, as tragic as that is. We are in a pandemic which cannot be controlled or predicted unfortunately.
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
There's every indication that they are under no financial pressure to just "get it out there." That only serves the core base who are tired of waiting. It's not a viable business plan. It's a $250 million dollar tentpole, not a Blumhouse horror movie made for $15. VOD is a loss, based on current examples. Tenet is limping (and actually harming theaters by being open).
I understand your point. But.... what if Covid is with us for another decade, what if cinemas die, what then?
1 - Moore, 2 - Dalton, 3 - Craig, 4 - Connery, 5 - Brosnan, 6 - Lazenby
Then the whole model will shift, but that model doesn't exist yet. Movie release strategies have become a bit like weather predictions, and until the studios all land on a model that works (it wasn't Mulan; it wasn't Tenet), it's going to be like watching a really long and boring game of chess. They're literally making it up as they go along because it's all they can do.
I agree. Studios have put a lot of money into these big modern films and they will only release them when they're able to make the most money back. Unfortunately for those that want to see the movie as soon as possible, this means releasing the movie via VOD is not a viable option. Studios would definitely have monitored Mulan's VOD release and then seen how little it's managed to make.
And remember, it's not just Bond that's pushing release dates. You've also got movies like Soul (Pixar), Black Widow (Marvel), Wonder Woman 1984 (DC), The Kings Man, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Fast & Furious 9, Top Gun Maverick etc etc etc. These are huge movies with huge fanbases...and huge budgets...and they're being pushed until they can actually make $$ back.
Then the industry will change operations, but there is no immediate and rational question about the going concern of the entire theater industry as of this moment.
Just saw the Trailer in the Cinema (TENET) It was truly underwhelming. Grumpy Seydoux (again) Catatonic Waltz (again) 'Where's Bond ' (again) I swear he's even still wearing the same Chinos. Betrayal (again)...give me strength. I am really trying to look forward to a fitting final instalment for Craig but fear that this wont be it.
So 2021 22 ...dont really care. Of course I'll see it and do my very best to like it but really unenthused. They have run out of ideas. Only upside is that Daniel looks great and there are some nice light touches of humour that suit his style.
I don't think fans or the general public will lose faith in Bond during these delays, I think they behave like people walking in a desert finding an oasis.
Covid -19 will perhaps be with us in five years, but only in a much lesser way than now. Perhaps the poorest countries are still trying to control it. In the developed world I think we 'll have some cases popping up now and then, but the pandemic will have faded into the background.
Cinema attendence may have gone furter down, but if cina dies it will tak emany more years.
I'd already made a personal decision that if NTTD had been released next month I wouldn't be going to the cinema to see it. (I'm a professional key worker on a front line, but I'm also avoiding public venues for recreation and leisure purposes, for the time being, even when they're taking "Covid-secure" mitigation measures.)
While November remained on the cards, I'd resigned myself to waiting for a home entertainment release, avoiding all reviews and spoilers till then, and missing out on seeing a new Bond in the cinema for the first time since 1972.
So personally I not only understand the decision for a further delay but welcome it.
Who knows whether global cinema-going will be any more of a realistic proposition by April (the "global" part seems doubtful)? But at this point it's too early to give up altogether on the idea of a theatrical release being the principal medium of debut.
I agree with you. Probably many here on the forum don’t. The initial excitement and fervour from the first trailer has now disappeared. I don’t think that can be regenerated now as we have had too much exposure to the storyline and clips of the movie. I think it’s a bad decision. The second wave was expected its only common sense after we’ve been in lockdown But we need to try and get some normality back. The worlds largest manufacturer of vaccines, the Serum Institute of Indian-has said there will not be enough supplies for universal inoculation until 2024 at the earliest.
We don't need universal inoculation, though. If there's vaccinations for health care workers and vulnerable populations, the threat drops significantly.
The virus isn't going anywhere (only one virus has ever been eliminated). Vaccinating even just those populations would do a significant amount to return to normalcy.
+1. The absolute worst part about another delay for me is that it delays a new Bond and a new direction for the franchise even further. Perhaps it will be a worse direction than the current one, but the Craig tenure has felt stale since 2015 and none of this is helping.
I agree that I'm probably more interested to see the direction for B26 now than in NTTD- but it's important to keep in mind that the general public don't tend to think like this. Cinemagoers will be champing at the bit to see "the new James Bond film", regardless. The five and a half year gap could even help NTTD by increasing hype and affection among the public, similar to the very long break in between LTK and GoldenEye.
"The spectre of defeat..."
They constantly paint themselves in a corner with these set release dates, though. Smartest (reputation-wise) move would be to record a video message with the producers explaining they‘re delaying it indefinitely.
Painful obviously, but that way you don’t look like a doofus every 6 months and throw marketing money out the window.
But that should have been done with the second delay, it doesn’t matter anymore now...
On a side note: I‘m also genuinely veeeery interested in seeing where cinemas in general will be going in the forseeable future. NTTD was kinda the savior for this year’s season.
IG: @thebondarchives
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