PAPA NOL∀N'S TENƎꓕ | August 26 internationally. September 2 "in select US cities" | 75% on RT after 228 reviews

[Eric Duncan]

https://deadline.com/2020/05/tenet-coronavirus-release-date-change-movie-theaters-1202928823/

 

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Exhibitors, rival studios and the town have been paralyzed all week wondering whether Warner Bros.’ Tenet will remain on its July 17 release date and bring the world’s movie theaters back from this coronavirus deep-freeze they’ve been suffering since mid-March.

 

Here’s what we know at this time: solid sources hear that 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. The crown lays heavy on Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan, as they know they have a huge responsibility to get the motion picture industry back on track. But they’re not going to lose any skin in opening Tenet, and they’re certainly not going to put the greater movie-going public in danger.

 

Exhibitors were waiting for a decision this week as to whether Tenet would stay or not, and no news is good news.

 

Warners is literally assessing the situation daily with medical experts and watching exhibition reopenings closely. In box office speak, we often talk about “comps” when it comes to a film’s opening weekend, and there aren’t any comps for what we’re going through with COVID-19. Theater owners hear if Tenet moves, it’s to Wonder Woman 1984‘s date of Aug. 14, and then she jets to December. But if it’s evident that theaters can’t open by June, does Tenet even go in August? No way in hell is Warner Bros. looking to platform Tenet around the world, given the spoilers involved in this time-twisting espionage thriller. Reddit will have cracked this pic by the end of its Thursday night 7 PM preview.

 

Now as far as the will-they-won’t-moviegoers-come-back question, given what we’re seeing with folks storming beaches, people are eager to get out of their homes after being cooped-up since mid-March. If COVID-19 safety guidelines remain in place, a majority of moviegoers will head back to the cinema, according to an exclusive EDO poll published on Deadline tonight. Again, that’s the hope if Tenet stays, and it’s a less-dangerous place out there.

 

Too many sources off the record, and those who’ve made public statements like Disney CEO Bob Chapek and the Cinemark exec corps swear that exhibitors (and studios) can make money off reduced auditorium capacities of 30%-50%. However, like the late Andy Rooney, I, too, get hate mail, and after such reports, one exhibition vet snarked to me via text: “You really think theaters can survive on limited capacity? Here’s an oldie but a goodie: ‘Friday and Saturday night only come around once a week’. Proforma budget projections should be based on selling out at prime shows on Friday and Saturday, otherwise you wouldn’t build it! So to think that these theaters can be profitable at even 50% is ridiculous. Not to mention the loss of $10-$15 on concession per person. Seems we have a different perception of this business.”

 

 

The other complexity that many cite with opening Tenet in the near future is how the heck is Warners going to market this? It’s an original piece of IP without any major stars, a studio marketing executive’s headache. The longer that Warners waits, can they pull off a full octane global marketing campaign in a five-week span? What are the trigger points?

 

With many people out of work and less commuting, does it make sense to advertise on billboards and morning radio?

 

Some say that since they’re the only ones out there (event film wise), they have all the digital and televised bullhorns to themselves. Recently, Warner Bros. tapped TikTok for a #ScoobDance campaign for this weekend’s PVOD and digital release of the animated pic Scoob. It was originally scheduled to be in theaters, and they clocked near 4 billion views.

 

However, a conundrum is that movies need live sports to exist, and live sports need movies (ad revenue-wise). What live sporting events will be televised to promote Tenet on? There’s no soccer abroad. MLB is hoping for an Independence Day weekend return, which would help with Tenet TV spots. No word on NHL and or NBA, but Nascar vrooms back this Sunday at Darlington raceway.

 

The good news for Tenet so far: since the first trailer dropped on Dec. 19 last year, global online views have clocked a great 46.3M, with a viral video rate on YouTube of 41:1 and daily views in the mid-30K daily range per RelishMix.

 

“Christopher Nolan fans have been churning in anticipation of the complexities of the trailer that was dropped Dec. 19th, and convo continues to speculate as to how ‘Nolan’ this film will be, especially as moviegoers are literally locked-out of what is posed to be an unquestionable ‘theatrical experience’,” RelishMix tells Deadline.

 

And we hear that Tenet, which is already finished, is as amazing as Inception. 

 

[excel1]

HOLD THE DATE and MAKE WAY FOR KING NOLAN 

[RealLyre]

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“You really think theaters can survive on limited capacity? Here’s an oldie but a goodie: ‘Friday and Saturday night only come around once a week’. Proforma budget projections should be based on selling out at prime shows on Friday and Saturday, otherwise you wouldn’t build it! So to think that these theaters can be profitable at even 50% is ridiculous. Not to mention the loss of $10-$15 on concession per person. Seems we have a different perception of this business.”

I've been wondering about this too, but yeah they (theater owners) will prolly be operating at a loss on opening weekend, BUT if movies start having very leggly runs with impressive dailys (Holiday-like) then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by RealLyre
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[TMP]

1 hour ago, Eric Atreides said:

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And we hear that Tenet, which is already finished, is as amazing as Inception. 

 

NUT

[Giesi]

Dunkirk‘s boxoffice performance in the US is still mind-blowing to me after watching it again yesterday. It says a lot about the brand power and seal of quality that people expect from a Christopher Nolan movie. Atypical but at the same time mesmerising, everything from the way it is shot, told and character work. 

[Maggie]

Is Nolan that crazy that he wants to be responsible for people getting infected? He knows there are some crazy nolanites out there that would risk anything to see the movie. It's not very nice of Nolan to not act responsible and get the movie delayed already.

 

Unless, this uncertainty is used by WB to raise awareness for the movie...and they will move the movie at the last minute

 

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Maggie

[Valonqar]

No, Nolan knows that his movie will kill the virus and cure the world. you see the movie you get lifetime immunity while any virus brought into the cinema keels over. such is the powah of Nolan [where is Jesus Nolan meme when you need it?]

Edited May 16, 2020 by Valonqar

[MrGlass2]

Nolanites are already queuing in front of theaters, they won't tolerate another delay:

 

[WittyUsername]

There’s exactly two months to go, so if they’re gonna delay this, they’re gonna have to do it pretty soon.

[lorddemaxus]

3 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

There’s exactly two months to go, so if they’re gonna delay this, they’re gonna have to do it pretty soon.

We should get a definitive answer by the first week of June. Either we get a trailer (WB usually releases trailers during the first week of a month) or the movie gets moved.

[RealLyre]

Just now, lorddemaxus said:

We should get a definitive answer by the first week of June. Either we get a trailer (WB usually releases trailers during the first week of a month) or the movie gets moved.

or we still get a trailer in June with the new date announcement of August

[DlAMONDZ]

Sell it to Netflix and cue the headlines:

 

"Over 100m household saw Tenet in the first 3 days. In America alone" 

Edited May 16, 2020 by DlAMONDZ

[Maggie]

5 minutes ago, DlAMONDZ said:

Sell it to Netflix

 

 

Over Nolan's dead body...

 

Sooner or later they'll move it to October.

[WittyUsername]

This doesn’t really seem like the kind of movie that would normally get an October release, but that would be their call. 

[TMP]

23 minutes ago, WittyUsername said:

This doesn’t really seem like the kind of movie that would normally get an October release, but that would be their call. 

I mean, Gravity made bank in October. A fellow expensive, auteur-driven, original sci-fi film

[Plain Old Tele]

10 minutes ago, TMP said:

I mean, Gravity made bank in October. A fellow expensive, auteur-driven, original sci-fi film

Sure, but that’s Cuaron. Has Nolan shown he can open a movie outside of summer?
 

 

[grim22]

5 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

Sure, but that’s Cuaron. Has Nolan shown he can open a movie outside of summer?
 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

Are you forgetting Interstellar?

[A Marvel Fanboy]

I know it. Tenet is as amazing as Inception.

[CloneWars]

I predict that if this really opens in July (which I'm 50/50 on happening) that this will win BP at the Oscars. I am dead serious about this.

 

1) The Academy will want to award a fun film after such a distressing period in history. No Oscar baity film will win this year. This is the kind of year where if something like Avatar were released, it would win handily

2) Nolan is long overdue

3) TDK got the rules to the Academy changed

4) TDK is ranked number 4 on imdb

5) If it is true Tenet is of similar quality as Inception then that means Tenet is really good

6) Most important: Nolan will rightfully take credit for bringing back movie going during the pandemic and WB can push that fact during awards season--here, reward this long overdue director who brought back cinema and money in your pocketbooks. No way would they vote against Nolan.

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

11 hours ago, CloneWars said:

I predict that if this really opens in July (which I'm 50/50 on happening) that this will win BP at the Oscars. I am dead serious about this.

 

1) The Academy will want to award a fun film after such a distressing period in history. No Oscar baity film will win this year. This is the kind of year where if something like Avatar were released, it would win handily

2) Nolan is long overdue

3) TDK got the rules to the Academy changed

4) TDK is ranked number 4 on imdb

5) If it is true Tenet is of similar quality as Inception then that means Tenet is really good

6) Most important: Nolan will rightfully take credit for bringing back movie going during the pandemic and WB can push that fact during awards season--here, reward this long overdue director who brought back cinema and money in your pocketbooks. No way would they vote against Nolan.

Unless a Tenet screening becomes a confirmed super-spreader event, then Nolan gets blamed/sued, theaters have to be shut down again and AMPAS holds that against him. I mean, I hope that's not what happens but if it does...yikes.

 

But overall, I could see your scenario happening... Even a couple of months ago, I posted on the awards section that this year's winner could be very different from Parasite, the way it was different from Green Book (and GB from The Shape of Water, etc.). It would be wild if Nolan won Best Picture/Director for an Inception-type movie rather than the World War II joint that preceded it, but it's nice when people win for the sort of thing they're best known for.

Edited May 17, 2020 by BoxOfficeFangrl