'Tenet' Makes $53M At Box Office During Opening Weekend Despite The Pandemic

Christopher Nolan's spy film "Tenet" launched internationally over the weekend and made $53 million at the box office despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The movie was launched in 41 international markets. It had the strongest start in the United Kingdom where it made $7.1 million. It also performed well in France ($6.7 million), South Korea ($5.1 million) and Germany ($4.2 million). In the upcoming weekend, "Tenet" will be released in more markets including the U.S., Russia, and China.

"We are off to a fantastic start internationally and couldn’t be more pleased," Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman, was quoted as saying by Variety.

"Christopher Nolan has once again delivered an event-worthy motion picture that demands to be seen on the big screen, and we are thrilled that audiences across the globe are getting the opportunity to see 'Tenet.'"

Emmerich also thanked the cinema operators for taking the extreme measures to ensure that the moviegoers are safe in theaters. Major chains like AMC and Regal require customers to wear face masks and practice social distanced inside the cinemas.

"Thank you to our exhibition partners for their tireless efforts in reopening their cinemas in a safe and socially-distanced way," Emmerich continued.

"Given the unprecedented circumstances of this global release we know we’re running a marathon, not a sprint, and look forward to long playability for this film globally for many weeks to come.”

Many people are very enthusiastic about "Tenet." In fact Tyler Tompkins, a California resident, booked a plane to watch the movie in Austin, Texas during the Sept. 1 screening. Austin is among the cities to offer early domestic screenings of "Tenet" starting Aug. 31. The film will open more widely in the U.S. on Sept. 3.

“I’m seeing the movie like three hours after I land. That’s the whole purpose of this trip,” Tompkins said excitedly who was traveling with three other companions.

"My friends think I’m crazy, going all the way across the country to watch it, but we want to show support for this film and we’ll do anything to see it.”

Tom Cruise was also among those who watched the film in London. The 58-year-old star shared a clip of his experience when he watched the movie on Twitter.

"Big Movie. Big Screen. Loved it." he wrote in the caption.

The short clip featured Cruise wearing a face mask while inside the car on his way to the cinema.

“Here we are. Back to the movies,” he said while posting in front of the poster upon arrival.

The moviegoers were clapping when the movie ended. The clip ended with the actor saying, "I loved it. I loved it," when asked if he liked the film while leaving the cinema.