Warner Bros. announced Friday that it has postponed the release of Christopher Nolan’s thriller Tenet from July 17 to July 31. The studio will re-release Nolan’s Inception on July 17 instead to honor the film’s 10th anniversary, with an extended sneak peek at Tenet attached to it.
“We’re especially thrilled, in this complex and rapidly changing environment, to be bringing Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, a global tentpole of jaw-dropping size, scope and scale, to theaters around the world on July 31,” said Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, in a statement.
“It’s been longer than any of us could’ve imagined since we’ve seen a movie on the big screen, and to acknowledge Chris’ fans as we count down to Tenet’s opening day, we are also excited to offer his masterpiece Inception in theaters for its 10th anniversary on July 17.”
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Warners’ statement also included this curious line:
“Moviegoers will also be treated to an exclusive sneak peek of select films on Warner Bros.’ upcoming slate.”
Is it possible this sneak peek could include footage from The Batman? That DC reboot, which stars Tenet’s Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, was a quarter of the way through production before it was shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Other upcoming Warners film titles the sneak peek could highlight include Wonder Woman 1984 and Dune, or maybe even The Suicide Squad.
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Tenet’s release date change wasn’t entirely unexpected given not only the ongoing pandemic and slow reopening of cinemas but also because Tenet’s latest trailer didn’t include a release date as trailers customarily do.
Tenet director Christopher Nolan has made no secret of his advocacy for the theatrical experience — particularly IMAX and 70mm, both of which formats Tenet will be presented in — so a pivot to a digital debut for the movie was never really in the cards.
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Warners had until early-to-mid June to make the final call on whether Tenet could stick to its original July 17 date or move to a later date. Any later and it would have been difficult for the studio to stage the sort of marketing campaign such a big theatrical release would need.
As Deadline reported in May, “Warner Bros needs at least 80% of the world’s theaters to be open, including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (which rep 25% of a pic’s opening weekend), in order to keep Tenet on its original release date. If such signs don’t appear positive in the next three weeks or sooner, Tenet moves. In order to make bank on a $200M production, Warners needs the globe’s exhibition infrastructure intact.”
For more on Tenet, discover why Christopher Nolan broke his big tradition for the film, find out why Nolan decided to blow up a real 747 rather than use visual effects, and learn what John David Washington said about the plot.
Source: IGN.com Tenet Release Date Delayed, Inception to Re-Release on July 17 Instead