Yesterday, we reported on the possibility that MGM’s latest James Bond film, No Time to Die, could premiere on Netflix or Apple TV+. Unfortunately for home theater fanatics, that doesn’t appear to be happening.
While discussions between the companies appear to have taken place, Variety is reporting that MGM wanted an eye-watering $600 million for the privilege of debuting No Time to Die on a streaming platform. Industry insider Drew McWeeny, who originally broke the news, did mention that the figure being tossed around was “insane” – but the number is still amusing, nonetheless.
Not surprisingly, neither Netflix nor Apple accepted the deal.
“…multiple insiders at rival studios and companies said that a possible Bond sale was explored overtly, and believe that MGM was at least open to the possibility of unloading their crown jewel for a princely sum,” Variety reported.
“The studio was said to be looking for a deal of roughly $600 million — a price tag that was deemed too rich for two of the free-spending streaming services. A sale of this magnitude would be led exclusively by Kevin Ulrich, the chairman and CEO of MGM’s majority owner Anchorage Capital Group, insiders said.”
$600 million price tag aside, switching No Time to Die from a theatrical to streaming debut seems like a tall order due to the parties involved. Nobody knows if franchise owners Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (Eon Productions) would even sign off on the deal. There’s also a ton of big-name advertising hooks involved, such as Land Rover, Omega watches, and Heineken – all of which would prefer the film to debut in cinemas as intended.