Releasing 'Tenet' is Now a $200 Million Gamble

The coronavirus pandemic has us all on edge. As restrictions ease and people try to go back to normal life, movie theaters are working to figure out what they can show and how they can show it. 

The biggest movie with chances of returning for people to watch is Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending original film Tenet. 

As of right now, Warner Brothers is planning on releasing the film in theaters in July, making it the first film since the COVID-19 pandemic to debut worldwide. 

While Nolan's track record speaks for itself, it's not just the draw of the audience but also the insane worry that comes with going to the theater that any release has to manage. 

Do people really want to be cooped up for a reportedly 3-hour and 15-minute movie? 

Even if it's spectacular, I can't imagine sitting near a stranger for that long. 

And when someone inevitably coughs...game over, man. 

But who knows what the world will look like in mid-July? 

The budget for Tenet is reported $200 million. And with prints, ads, and marketing materials you're looking at an expense of around $300-$400 million. I'm sure Warner Brothers is sweating. They could punt the movie to later in the year like James Bond did with its new film, but if there's a chance that theaters can open and be safe, it pays to be the only big release available. 

It could be programmed on every screen. 

But factor this in with the complicated genre—science fiction—and you get a big gamble. 

This is not big IP like an Avengers: Endgame. 

I mean, look at Tenet's logline: 

"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."

While that makes me excited for the movie, it's not exactly welcoming to mass audiences.  

Right now, Tenet is slated to hit theaters on July 17th. 

Only time will tell if it happens and if the gamble pays off. 

Would you release Tenet in July if you were Warner Brothers? Do you plan on seeing it if it does hit theaters as planned? Let us know in the comments.