Warner Bros. delivered bad news for the American film industry on Monday: The studio has delayed the American theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s secret action thriller “Tenet” indefinitely, with no new date given.
That news comes after Warner Bros. had already promoted the film from July 17 to 31, and then to August 12. Warner Bros. said in a press release that the studio “will share a new 2020 release date imminently.” But the move is a heavy blow to movie theater chains, many of which had planned to begin a cautious reopening to showcase “Tenet” and “Mulan,” the upcoming major Disney live-action remake that has been promoted from the March 27 to July 24 for August 21, and now, given the Warner Bros. move, it could certainly be pushed again. (Disney did not comment.)
“Tenet” and “Mulan” were the first two box office hits after the shutdown, and theaters had pinned their hopes on the movies. Both films had budgets of more than $ 200 million.
Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Chapek even said in a profit call in May that Disney was hoping “to get a pretty good idea” of whether Americans were ready to go back to the movies “because there is a competitive movie opening a week before our movie., “A reference to” Tenet “.
But then, in June, AT&T (T) -owned Warner Bros. lobbied “Tenet” until July 31, leaving “Mulan” first. That salvo sparked an apparent chicken game among studios to avoid being the first to launch a major launch amid the pandemic, especially given the optics of doing so at a time when COVID-19 cases are reaching a new peak in the US
MUMBAI, INDIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan watched the filming of the upcoming movie ‘Tenet’ near the Taj Hotel, Colaba on September 17, 2019 in Mumbai, India. (Kunal Patil / Hindustan Times photo via Getty Images)
AMC Entertainment (AMC) announced in June that it would reopen 450 of its 600 theaters in the United States on July 15, giving it a week to prepare for the July 24 release of “Mulan.” (AMC had to reverse course after initially saying it would not require masks in reopened movie theaters.) On June 26, Disney delayed “Mulan” until August 21. Three days later, AMC pushed for its July 30 reopening to coincide with August release dates for “Tenet” and “Mulan.”
Now “Tenet” won’t be out in August, and if “Mulan” is pushed too, AMC probably won’t open on July 30. “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” an indie from Searchlight (formerly Fox Searchlight before Disney-Fox) starring Dev Patel in the title role, is slated for a theatrical release on August 14, but could end up going straight to Disney. +.
AMC can’t resist the blockade for much longer: The chain received a $ 300 million infusion of debt financing from Silver Lake Partners in July to narrowly avoid bankruptcy, for now.
Indoor movie theaters will soon have to decide whether to reopen some venues in states with fewer cases of the virus, before they have new box office hits to attract viewers. (Theaters across the country helped “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” become the # 1 movie at the box office last week.)
Meanwhile, Variety reports that Warner Bros. may release “Tenet” abroad before US studio chief Toby Emmerich says the film will not be treated “as a traditional date-and-date worldwide release.” Doing so would entail two risks: Nolan’s film has been marketed with great secrecy, and its release in other markets is likely to result in an avalanche of online spoilers; It would also make the film a symbol of America’s failure to contain the virus.
–
The decision to date Disney’s ‘Mulan’ affects the entire film industry
‘Hamilton’ offers 64% downloads for Disney + amid the pandemic
Disney’s ‘Mulan’ will look at Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ as a test of health in the cinema
The coronavirus puts “extreme pressure” on the three pillars of Disney’s business
Coronavirus is forcing Quibi, NBC Peacock to change its plans at launch
Trolls World Tour rental success doesn’t mean death for theaters
Movie theaters seek bailouts as coronavirus devastates businesses
