When word came on Friday that Christopher Nolan’s puzzle box thriller “Tenet” was delayed, it was not unexpected news. A surprise though was that said delay was only two weeks with Warners hoping cinemas will be in a better position by July 31st.
So why not just push it back to the Fall or sometime in 2021? This is a big-budget $200 million film that will need all the open cinemas it can get. With hints that the COVID-19 pandemic is showing no signs of abating for some time, filmgoing this Summer is still looking like a dicey prospect.
A new report in The New York Times has gone into the decision and says that both Warner Bros. Pictures and Nolan himself are divided on the film’s release. The studio wants to release the film at a time when it could earn the most money possible – namely when everything is safe and open again. Nolan, however, wants “Tenet” to be the film to usher in the post-COVID-19 box office:
“In recent weeks, Warner, concerned about its ‘Tenet’ investment, was leaning in favor of postponement, while Mr. Nolan, a fervent advocate for preserving the moviegoing experience, was more eager to press ahead. The discussions amounted to a fraught moment for Warner: Mr. Nolan is a proven moneymaker, and the studio wants to keep him happy.”
Effectively the date move was to appease Nolan who has made a fortune for Warners over the years and so holds plenty of sway. His films are also guaranteed money makers under usual circumstances, but we’re not in usual circumstances at this point.
Reader surveys over the past few months have indicated that some are desperate to get out of the house and go back to movies, but many others are willing to wait until the pandemic has finished. With the size of the “Tenet” budget it’s thought the film needs to reach the $1 billion mark to be considered a big success.
