The future of film exhibition is, at least in part, seemingly riding on the fortunes of Christopher Nolan’s new spy thriller “Tenet”. Exhibitors need the film to not just be a success, but to do so next month when it is scheduled for launch, otherwise cinemagoing may become a limited thing in the near future.
Of course, the big question everyone is asking is will the movie make its July 17th launch date, or will it be pushed back to sometime in the Fall? The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down in many parts of the world but certainly has not abated – especially in the United States which is also in the midst of major civil strife in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.
Speaking to investors this week, Cinemark CEO Mark Zoradi was asked if the theater chain would be able to survive by sticking to government-mandated safety precautions whilst releasing “Tenet”. He told the crowd:
“We’ve been in close contact with Warner Bros. and they remain optimistic and positive as well as Christopher Nolan about the July 17 opening. Of course, it depends on the continued positive movement due to the decline of COVID-19 and government restrictions being reduced.”
Later he then clarified that “we can’t promise you nor Warner Bros that ‘Tenet’ can open on July 17th,” but he does say there is ‘pent-up demand’ to see the film – especially in the wake of the recent second trailer launch.
At present though, the two biggest markets New York and Los Angeles remain unsure if cinemas will be open in time whilst there’s the obvious problem of marketing the film without that certainty. Whatever their choice, the studio will have to decide what it intends to do in the next few weeks.
Source: Deadline
