'Tenet' and 'Wonder Woman 1984' Get Pushed
Will Christopher Nolan's mind-melting thriller be the first summer hit? It'll have to wait. Again.
It could still be, maybe, despite having its premiere date pushed two weeks. It all depends on other movies on the schedule and how willing audiences are to return to theaters.
Originally slated for July 17, Tenet will now open on July 31, still putting it well within summer tentpole season. The film stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson.
Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, gave a statement on the movie's shift.
"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," Emmerich said. "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."
The rerelease of Inception will also have exclusive footage of Nolan's new film attached.
According to the New York Times, Nolan was a key reason Warner Bros. decided to forge ahead with the July release date. He has advocated for support of movie theaters since March.
His film cost over $200 million to produce, and no one is quite sure how excited pandemic movie-goers will be to return to theaters. Many have been eager to see how Tenet would perform, but now Disney's Mulan will be the first test subject for mid-COVID movie-watching. Studios continue to hold their collective breath.
Wonder Woman 1984, meanwhile, has now been delayed twice. It already moved from June 5 to Aug. 14, but now is set for an Oct. 2 premiere. The move was announced last week on the official Wonder Woman Twitter account.
The film stars Gal Gadot in the titular role.
What's next? Check out more coverage on upcoming films!
Learn more about why releasing Tenet is such a big risk. Listen to our podcast about whether Tenet will get us all back into theaters. And check out what theater executives say about reopening during an ongoing pandemic.
Source: Variety
