As the global pandemic threw the entire movie industry into chaos with films abandoning release dates in droves and/or pivoting to video-on-demand, Christopher Nolan‘s upcoming blockbuster Tenet has been notably resistant to abandoning a summer 2020 theatrical release. When it began to look like the theater industry roaring back in July was not going to happen, Tenet only budged two weeks by delaying its release date from July 17 to July 31, which was extremely optimistic. Case in point, not even two weeks later, Tenet pushed its release date to August 12, where it currently sits, and once again, its chances aren’t looking great.
With COVID-19 cases in the United States beginning to spike upward after states eased restrictions on social distancing and reopened businesses to the public — bars and restaurants have been cited as significant hot spots — the theater industry continues to face even more uncertainty about its future. However, Tenet has yet to abandon its mission to hit cineplexes as soon as possible, and according to a new report, the decision is entirely Nolan’s.
In early June, Warner Bros. presented the esteemed director with the option to delay the film until 2021 when its box-office prospects would be considerably greater, and he wasn’t having it. To Nolan, there was more than money at stake. Via The Hollywood Reporter:
The studio laid out several theoretical scenarios for Nolan, listing likely profits and losses with his movie being released on different dates, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the call. Presented with an economic case for moving Tenet months into the future, when presumably the novel coronavirus would be a more contained threat and box office grosses more reliable, Nolan pushed back. It wasn’t about money, he said, expressing instead the desire to be the first big studio film back in theaters, to show faith in the form and solidarity with exhibitors, when they’re allowed to open and say they’re ready.
As THR notes, Nolan is a fierce advocate of the theatrical experience, and during the early days of the pandemic, he petitioned Congress to offer relief to the theater industry as it faced an unprecedented threat to its future existence. So the director’s desire to have a blockbuster ready to go when cinemas open certainly makes sense in that context, and it also explains the odd practice of pushing Tenet‘s release date back only two weeks at a time.
But while Nolan’s solidarity with theater owners is admirable, Warner Bros. and the director are setting themselves up for criticism over the decision to entice moviegoers into an enclosed space during a pandemic that has shown signs of resurgence. Could Tenet be the movie that helps revive the theater industry? It’s definitely possible. Could it be the source of infection for an untold number of moviegoers? Also very possible.
(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
Source: https://uproxx.com/movies/tenet-christopher-nolan-wants-to-be-first-movie-in-theaters/