Tenet

The News

By Ray Pride

May 15, 2020

“Warner Bros. and Nolan declined to comment for this story. But those with knowledge of the plans describe how the studio is moving forward. The company has conducted cast and filmmaker interviews for long-lead journalists, monthly magazine writers, by Zoom, and is preparing to drop a second trailer online. The studio, Nolan and theater owners are in close contact about measures that can be taken to bring people safely into multiplexes. Everyone has been trying to pull toward the same goal, say those familiar with the conversations who were not authorized to speak about them publicly: support Tenet as the movie that reopens America. For Warner Bros, the upside is huge: It could capitalize on months of pent-up demand and give the studio theaters all to itself.”

BMD: “Attempting a traditional summer tentpole release of Tenet looks like a phenomenally stupid business decision. Even if the major chains reopen, they will not be able to serve large audiences. Social distancing guidelines mandate selling only a portion of their seats, and some areas have caps on how many people can congregate in one place. At best, you’d have to aim for a slow but steady release; there’s no physical way to get the explosive opening weekend that’s been standard for decades. Even then, you’d still need to convince people to go. Releasing Tenet in July—with “can’t-miss” marketing—is a potential death sentence for anyone who decides to attend that must-see release, picks up the virus from an asymptomatic carrier, and subsequently develops terminal respiratory or other symptoms. All audiences will receive a muted experience: audience response will be replaced by the dead air of empty seats, contagious laughter and gasps by contagious disease.”

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