It appears as if filmmaker Christopher Nolan is intent on being remembered as the director who brought moviegoers back to theaters, because Tenet is coming out in July, global pandemic be damned. While Warner Bros. has finally bowed to pressure by pushing the film back to July 31st, another Nolan movie, Inception, will be celebrating its ten-year anniversary on July 17th.
That means the prolific director beats Disney's Mulan to the punch, but would it not have made more sense for the studio to hold off and release Tenet sometime this winter or even next year? After all, original sci-fi films like this are always a hard sell, so the movie coming out in the middle of a COVID-19 outbreak seems somewhat ill-advised. There is a reason they're sticking to that July debut, however.
According to The New York Times, "In recent weeks, Warner, concerned about its “Tenet” investment, was leaning in favor of postponement, while Mr. Nolan, a fervent advocate for preserving the moviegoing experience, was more eager to press ahead. The discussions amounted to a fraught moment for Warner: Mr. Nolan is a proven moneymaker, and the studio wants to keep him happy."
It's been said for a while that Nolan was keen to have Tenet come out as planned, and he's talked passionately about why the big screen experience needs to remain an option for moviegoers.
One has to hope that this isn't going to lead to theaters rushing to open their doors...a move which could lead to a second spike in cases of coronavirus around the globe.
What do you guys think?