Christopher Nolan is hopeful that Tenet will be the movie that helps re-open theaters across the globe, but as the weeks pass, that's looking increasingly unlikely. COVID-19 cases remain on the rise, and Warner Bros. won't want to be the studio that gets to take credit for contributing to that by encouraging people to return to crowded multiplexes.
We've already heard that the movie might struggle to break even given the current global climate, but a new report from Indie Wire claims that it will need to earn at least $800 million to do so.
The production budget was reportedly around $400 million, accounting for the combined production and marketing budgets. Given the fact Nolan frequently delivers massive successes for Warner Bros., it's no great surprise that the studio was happy to let him spend this much, and he frequently nears that all-important $1 billion mark in global box office receipts.
The $800 million figure seems almost ridiculously high, but it adds up, and could pose serious problems for Tenet. This certainly eliminates the possibility of any sort of Digital release, even with rumours swirling that studios could be considering releasing movies in countries where COVID-19 isn't too bad, and then making pricey day and date releases a priority in the United States.
At this point, it arguably seems clear that Warner Bros. should just push Tenet to next year...