After a bleak two years following the COVID-19 pandemic which prompted many delays and led to record-low numbers for the box office, it seems as if cinema may finally be back, or at least a step towards it as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune& and &Cary Joji Fukunaga’s &No Time To Die&, being Daniel Craig’s last outing as the iconic James Bond character, set their release dates in China, making their entry to the world’s biggest film market. Cinephiles all over the world see this as good news after the whole film industry was left all over the place following the pandemic, due to which plans were changed and movies delayed.
At the forefront of this delay was No Time to Die,& one of the most anticipated films of last year, as fans are anxious to see Daniel Craig make his final return as Bond. The two films will be released in successive October weekends with &Dune& making its debut on October 22, after being released in some countries where cinemas remain open, while &No Time To Die &lands itself an October 29 release date in China, which is 3 weeks after its debut in America.
This is certainly a joyous moment for fans who have been waiting ages to know for sure whether or not they will be able to watch two of the most anticipated films of the year, after many delayed blockbusters fail to set a concrete release date and with the unexpected amount of delays and uncertainty surrounding the whole situation. This comes after the roaring success of Marvel’s &Shang Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings&which prompted Sony’s &Venom: Let There Be Carnage&to release earlier than announced to capitalize on the situation. There has been great worry and uncertainty around the release of the two movies as fans have been given ample reason to worry, after the amount of delays that &No Time To Die&has specifically gone through.
However, many fans are concerned about piracy and illegal streaming of both of the movies as &Dune& has already been released in certain parts of Europe and Asia and &No Time To Die& set to debut almost a month after its US release. This comes after China’s patriotic day, Oct 1, and the subsequent Patriotic Week running throughout the first week of October, which is one of the biggest box office periods of the year.
Added hype for &No Time To Die&was gathered when a BTS video of Daniel Craig saying farewell to the character in an emotional speech was released, and with Denis &Villeneuve having one of the largest cult-fan followings in recent history, the anticipation for &Dune& is as high as ever, after it earned a substantially long standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, adding fuel to its fire, and with Villeneuve having his fair share of success in the Chinese domestic market with &Blade Runner: 2049& and &Arrival, &it is clear that both fans and the director himself is looking forward to the release alike. Fans are also dying to see &No Time To Die& which will culminate Craig’s Bond, and even more excited to see what comes next. They can only hope that the pandemic situation normalizes and cinemas start getting back to normal, as soon as possible. This news arrives via Variety.