Although Warner Bros.' Tenet has grossed nearly $350 million worldwide, director Christopher Nolan is worried about the ripple effects of the film's theatrical release.
"Well, it’s a difficult question to speak to," Nolan said to The Los Angeles Times regarding what the future of cinema looks like in the face of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. "If you’re talking about the acceleration of existing trends, that’s something I started reading right at the beginning of the pandemic. And it ignores the reality that 2019 was the biggest year for theatrical films in history. They’d made the most money. The admissions were huge. So to me, it’s much more about: What’s the new reality we’re living in?"
"Warner Bros. released Tenet, and I’m thrilled that it has made almost $350 million," Nolan continued. "But I am worried that the studios are drawing the wrong conclusions from our release — that rather than looking at where the film has worked well and how that can provide them with much needed revenue, they’re looking at where it hasn’t lived up to pre-COVID expectations and will start using that as an excuse to make exhibition take all the losses from the pandemic instead of getting in the game and adapting — or rebuilding our business, in other words. Long term, moviegoing is a part of life, like restaurants and everything else. But right now, everybody has to adapt to a new reality."
After numerous delays, Tenet was released in theaters on Sept. 3. The first big blockbuster to be released since movie theaters closed due to the pandemic, Tenet has grossed $53.8 million domestically. However, it has fared better overseas, where it has amassed $293.3 million.
Armed with only one word – Tenet – and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time. Not time travel. Inversion.” A clue to the central narrative of the film may lie in history.
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Tenet stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Dimple Kapadia, Martin Donovan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Himesh Patel, Clémence Poésy, Denzil Smith and Michael Caine. The film is now playing in theaters overseas and in select U.S. cities.
Source: The Los Angeles Times