Christopher Nolan has long championed shooting on film and showcasing those movies in cinemas when so many others have moved to shooting on digital and releases via SVOD.
As a result, he’s the pin-up for exhibitors and his new film “Tenet,” which is holding steadfast to a planned mid-July release, is being touted as the blockbuster that will kick off the return of audiences to cinemas.
Of course, that assumes that the world will be in a healthy enough state that people will want to flock to cinemas, and that there will be plenty of them open at the time. The exhibitors want it, Nolan wants it, but the studio may be more hesitant.
A new report in Variety states that Warner Bros. Pictures is currently set to decide the fate of the film’s release this week with the decision coming this far out to allow the studio the necessary time required for a decent marketing campaign.
AMC, Regal, and other major cinema chains are hoping to have a majority of their cinemas back up and in operation in North America by July. However it remains difficult to predict if that will be too soon or not – especially in larger cities.
On top of that, the film’s costly budget means Warners hopes the film will earn at least $1 billion worldwide – to reach that goal, they have to make sure cinemas can support that kind of business.
