Christopher Nolan is a huge supporter of the theatrical experience, but is the filmmaker now risking people's health by advocating for cinemas to reopen? Last month, he even appealed to Congress to aid theaters after they were forced to close their doors, arguing that people will need "the collective human engagement" that the movie going experience delivers.
However, in a recent earnings conference call with IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond, it was revealed that it's Nolan who is pushing for his new movie TENET to maintain its July release date and not be pushed forward.
"I don’t know anyone in America who is pushing harder than Chris Nolan to have the theaters open and to have his movie released in July when it’s scheduled for," he explained, confirming that post-production has continued throughout the lockdown (which means it should be ready to go)
IMAX has reportedly "incorporated a number of remote tools into our workflows" to ensure a few key staff members can report to work and keep TENET on track for its tentative July release date.
Honestly, it seems highly irresponsible of Nolan to be pushing for his movie to be released so soon, especially as we're in the midst of a global pandemic (COVID-19) which isn't really showing any signs of slowing down. Heading back into theaters could be dangerous for people's health if restrictions are lifted too soon, and it runs the risk of spreading the virus even quicker among communities.
Time will tell what happens but, as of right now, TENET is scheduled to arrive this July on IMAX screens.