The theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has been bumped back by Warner Bros. two weeks from July 17 to now open on July 31.
In its place, Warner Bros. will re-release a special 10th anniversary edition of Nolan’s “Inception” that will also include a sneak peek of “Tenet.”
“We’re especially thrilled, in this complex and rapidly changing environment, to be bringing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet,’ a global tentpole of jaw-dropping size, scope and scale, to theaters around the world on July 31,” Toby Emmerich, chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement. “It’s been longer than any of us could’ve imagined since we’ve seen a movie on the big screen, and to acknowledge Chris’ fans as we count down to ‘Tenet”s opening day, we are also excited to offer his masterpiece ‘Inception’ in theaters for its 10th anniversary on July 17.”
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that left studios shuffling schedules, bumping back release dates by months and moving other movies to solely digital releases, “Tenet” has been one of the longest holdouts, having stuck to its July 17 release date since the beginning. The film even debuted a new trailer advertising that date in the video game “Fortnite” last month.
Theater chains too have used the opening of “Tenet” as something of a target for when theaters could reopen and when they could expect audiences to return for studio, blockbuster fare. And as a result, the National Association of Theater Owners also issued a statement about the date change.
“We are excited that our partners at Warner Bros. will offer a new generation of film fans the opportunity to enjoy ‘Inception’ the way it was originally intended to be seen – on the big screen. Over these last months we have been keeping Warner Bros. closely informed of our work towards reopening our theatres in accordance with governmental health and safety requirements, and we are looking forward to audiences enjoying ‘Tenet’ in our theatres all around the world on July 31.”
“Tenet” will now open on the same day as an STX release, the disaster action movie “Greenland” starring Gerard Butler. Other studios have also slotted in new theatrical releases now that theaters have inched towards reopening their doors with new safety protocols. Among them, Solstice Studios is releasing the Russell Crowe thriller “Unhinged” on July 10, which the studio also on Friday just moved back from its original July 1 release date. Sony is also releasing the rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery” on July 10, and Disney is releasing the live-action remake of “Mulan” on July 24.
“Tenet” wasn’t the only tentpole film Warner Bros. moved on Friday, as the studio also bumped back “Wonder Woman 1984” from its Aug. 14 release to now open on Oct. 2, 2020.
“Tenet” stars John David Washington in Nolan’s latest original, sci-fi action film, as he’s gifted with the ability to experience time through something called “inversion,” though what he experiences is not time travel. He embarks on a fight to save the world in an international espionage mission that unfolds in something beyond real-time. The film also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh.
“Inception” is Nolan’s 2010 film that stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a professional thief who steals information by infiltrating someone’s subconscious through their dreams. “Tenet” is something of a throwback to the mind-bending action and thrills of that film, which made $829 million at the worldwide box office and was nominated for Best Picture.