Warner Bros. has announced that it will delay the release of Beginning – Studio director Christopher Nolan’s mysterious summer box office hit – for another two weeks, moving the planned release from July 31 to August 12 as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the United States.
Warner Bros. remains firm that those $ 200 million Beginning will debut in a movie theater, commenting in a statement to Hollywood reporter that “Warner Bros. agrees to bring Beginning audiences in theaters, on the big screen, when exhibitors are ready and public health officials say it’s time. “It is a commitment that comes at a time when studios, including Warner Bros. itself, turn to every Again to video-on-demand releases and streaming of his films in light of the continued closure of theaters across the country.
Nolan in particular is known for specifically advocating for theatrical experience, and has been one of the biggest advocates of reopening theaters as early as possible, with Beginning like the movie that will announce the return of the cinema. As IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond noted in April, “Chris would really like to come out with the movie that opens theaters.”
Beginning It had already been delayed earlier this summer, going from its original release date of July 17 to July 31, a decision that The New York Times the reports were a source of conflict between Warner Bros., who was in favor of postponing the film to a more profitable time, and Nolan, who was “more eager to move on.” The tug-of-war between the two factions (and Warner Bros. ‘desire to keep profitable partner Nolan happy) may explain the repeated short delays for the film, rather than a more drastic release date change, as we have seen for most other summer 2020 box office hits.
The new Beginning the release date is also in the middle of the week, with Warner Bros. noting that “it doesn’t treat this like a traditional movie release.” The company also said it plans to “allow audiences to discover the film on their own time, and we plan to play longer, during an extended replay period beyond the norm, to develop a very different but successful release strategy.”
With the change of Beginning As of August, all eyes are on Disney Mulan, which is currently slated for a July 24 release, which would make it the first summer box office hit to hit theaters, unless Disney moves the release date again.
