Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’ Is 'Coming To Theaters' Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

The new trailer for the Christopher Nolan film “Tenet” just came in, and it revealed more details about the “Inception”-like movie. The debate right now is whether it will have a theater premier or just launch straight to VOD.

The trailer ended with an ominous “coming to theaters” message, but it’s not clear whether it would be able to release to theaters. The message may not have a specified date of release but Warner Bros. confirms to IGN that the movie is slated for a July 17 release date. The question is whether or not it will actually hold a theater premiere or not. Considering the situation with the lockdown, a theater premier seems highly unlikely at the moment.

Christopher Nolan’s “advocacy” for getting the maximum experience of a theater release is no secret. He has always liked how his movies have been presented in IMAX and 70mm, so a direct-to-digital release seems unlikely to happen. The big question is how will Warner Bros. handle its release, given that theaters aren’t supposed to open just yet.

Los Angeles Times reports that movie theaters may open in late June or early July. If this goes as planned, “Tenet” will be the first film of caliber to open traditionally since movie houses in the U.S. shut down in mid-March.

This may not be possible after all, since the government shows no sign of relaxing stringent rules meant to keep the spread of the virus in check. Theater owners are also uncertain whether they will be able to fully open across the nation. Some may even have closed for good, following the threat of bankruptcy.

“Tenet” is looking to open in big markets like LA, San Francisco, and New York. Markets of their size are needed for the movie to become profitable. Warner also needs about 80% of the world’s multiplexes in order to keep the budget for the film justified. If not, then the movie will have to move its premiere to later dates.