Prior to Tenet's release, Warner Bros. and director Christopher Nolan seemed confident that the enigmatic sci-fi flick would do its part to "save cinema" by enticing the masses back to theatres - despite warnings that it wasn't the most responsible thing to do in the middle of a pandemic.
The film actually did pretty well all things considered (it took in over $300 million worldwide), but it wasn't the success Nolan and the studio hoped for, and The head of WarnerMedia's parent company has now admitted that things didn't quite go according to plan.
"I can’t tell you that we walked away from the Tenet experience saying it was a home run," AT&T CEO John Stankey said today during an investor call. "I’m happy we did it, I think the team was incredibly creative. I think we learned a few things about what we can do. I think if theatres were open nation-wide, if California and New York were open, we’d have some latitude. So maybe as we get to a place where there is a little more consistent footprint we can do some more."
Stankey added that Warner Bros. "is still committed to [putting] some of the content that we think is most important into the theatrical channel," but that he's "not optimistic" about a significant recovery moving into the early part of 2021.
What does this mean for Wonder Woman 1984? Well, the DC Comics sequel is still scheduled to open on Christmas Day, but we're expecting the announcement that it's shifted into next year any day now.
Did you go see Tenet in theatres? If so, what did you think? You can check out our review HERE.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.