Christopher Nolan is keen for Tenet to arrive in theaters as planned in mid-July, but we've heard a lot of conflicting stories about whether it will actually be possible. Right now, it's looking highly likely that theaters in major markets like New York and Los Angeles won't be open by then, and that alone could result in Warner Bros. pushing the movie to later in 2020 or 2021.
That might not sound like the end of the world, but a report from The Washington Post points to that decision being something which could have major ramifications for the entire film industry.
An anonymous studio executive weighed in the fallout of Tenet potentially being delayed, and believe that such a move could halt any theatrical releases until Christmas. "If Tenet doesn’t come out or doesn’t succeed, every other company goes home. It’s no movies until Christmas."
That's a crazy thought, and one which could spell doom for everything from Mulan to Black Widow.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek has indicated that the studio is going to use Tenet to help them decide what to do about Mulan, and what will be really interesting is whether we suddenly see a wave of VOD releases as a result of this. Alternatively, it could just lead to more delays and 2020 movies hitting in 2021.
Right now, it's hard to say either way, but we'll keep you guys updated as soon as we hear more!