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 "No Time To Die", the new Bond
film, is perhaps a fitting title for an industry
that has been battered by the closures of
cinemas around the globe to try to contain the
deadly virus.
Theatres are now reopening in many countries but
streaming services such as Netflix have surged
ahead during lockdowns and pose a lasting
threat.
Tim Richards, founder and head of cinema chain
Vue, says going out to see a film enhances its
value.
"Enjoying a movie with friends, family,
strangers makes it funnier, scarier, whatever it
might be," he told Reuters.
Richards points to a strong slate of film
releases this autumn to help maintain the
momentum -- including historical drama "The Last
Duel", biographical crime movie "House of
Gucci," as well as superhero movies such as
"Eternals" and the latest instalments in the
"Superman" and "Venom" series.
His enthusiasm is shared by Jon Dixon, UK
Marketing Director at Showcase Cinemas.
"There is actually an awful lot of content
coming down to be released through the rest of
2021 and 2022... When you look at the release
calendar for the final quarter of this year and
then into next year, it is a phenomenal lineup,"
Dixon said.
CRAIG BOWS OUT
There are brighter signs for cinemas across the
Atlantic.
Disney's most recent film, Marvel's "Shang-Chi
and the Legend of the Ten Rings," set a Labor
Day weekend record with $94.7 million in ticket
sales at U.S. and Canadian theatres.
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 Disney will release "Eternals,"
"West Side Story" and the rest of its 2021 films
exclusively in theatres before sending them to
streaming, a show of confidence that moviegoing
will rebound.
"What Bond is showing, and films that have been
released over the past few months like Shang-Chi,
is that when films are released exclusively in
cinema before they have home entertainment or
streaming releases then the demand is there for
people to see these films in the cinema," said
Dixon.
"No Time to Die", the 25th instalment in the
franchise and Daniel Craig's last portrayal of
the spy, was pushed back three times as its
makers waited for theatres to reopen.
 Rivals Cineworld and AMC-owned Odeon said this
week that pre-bookings for the movie were at
levels last seen in 2019.
"Bond is an event. It always is. I think because
we are in a post-Covid world it is maybe an even
bigger event than it would have been normally.
It has cross-generational appeal," said Vue's
Richards.
(Reporting by Muvija M in Bengaluru; Editing by
Keith Weir and Elaine Hardcastle)
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