Nolan’s “Tenet” Release Date Pushed Back Again: Smart or Sabotage?
For fans of Christopher Nolan and observers of the changing movie industry alike, the long-awaited release of his newest sci-fi film, Tenet, has been an object of debate and uncertainty. Tenet’s release date was originally slated to premiere in theaters on July 17, 2020, but as public health officials made it clear that this wasn’t going to be possible Warner Bros pushed the release date back twice, landing on August 12, a decision that shocked many.
Most had assumed it would be pushed much further back like Wonder Woman 1984, of which the release date was pushed from August 14 to October 2, but this was not the case. Warner Bros has announced that their plan for releasing this film will be very different than their plans for blockbusters of the past. “In this moment what we need to be is flexible, and we are not treating this as a traditional movie release. We are choosing to open the movie mid-week to allow audiences to discover the film in their own time, and we plan to play longer, over an extended play period far beyond the norm, to develop a very different yet successful release strategy.”
The question now is whether this is a smart decision to try and revive the theatre experience or if it’s sabotaging the potential viewership of the film by not going straight to a home-viewing platform.
Ever since the successful at-home release of Trolls World Tour which grossed over 95 million dollars in its’ first three weeks of on-demand rentals, many have hoped that other films would make the same leap to on-demand. Unfortunately for them, Warner Bros made a statement saying they are, “committed to bringing Tenet to audiences in theaters, on the big screen.”
I believe pushing off the release date only slightly and insisting on a theatrical release in the current state of the country regarding COVID-19 isn’t going to be smart in the long run. Eventually, movie theaters and the experience they provide will come back, but until this pandemic is completely under control, a new form of movie consumption needs to be embraced. My hypothesis is that if Tenet is released in theaters as currently slated, the box office numbers, even long term will be much lower than if it were to be released on-demand with a high rental price while the hype for the movie is still high.
Regardless of box office numbers, the number one concern for everyone currently should be the health and safety of those around them, and having a wide theatrical release is not taking this kind of concern into account. Perhaps if they pushed the film release back many months to accommodate the pandemic, while also keeping the grandiose nature of the Nolan blockbuster in theaters, I would understand, but releasing it in August seems far too rushed.
While I’ve been a huge Christopher Nolan fan for years and am very excited for his new film, I won’t be watching until it’s available for me to stream from the comfort and safety of my own home.
