Tenet Hits $20 Million in China, Set to Cross $100 Million International

Christopher Nolan’s latest film Tenet continues to perform solidly in the international market and is continuing to do well in China. The time-bending thriller has crossed the $20 million mark at the Chinese box office bringing in an estimated $21 million — including previews. It’s a number that should see the film cross the $100 million international box office mark this weekend.

According to Deadline, the latest Chinese numbers for Tenet puts the film on track for a $30 million opening weekend haul. It’s a number that’s a bit lower than what some estimated, but the film isn’t without significant box office competition in China. The Chinese war epic The Eight Hundred has offered some stiff competition to Tenet and the two films are in a tight battle for the weekend top spot. The film is also expected to have some strong competition next weekend as well with Disney’s Mulan opening in China on September 11th.

Tenet also opened in the United States this weekend and is estimated to earn $20 million in its Labor Day weekend opening and $50 million overall — a number that is especially interesting considering that theaters in the U.S. are not yet open nationwide while those that are open are operating at reduced capacity due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Because of that, Warner Bros. is hoping to use a longer theatrical window for Tenet than what would usually be seen with a blockbuster.

“We’re using the old marathon-versus-sprint approach,” WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group head Ann Sarnoff recently explained. “We’re in it for the long game. It’s so unprecedented to launch it this way. We’re feeling good and waiting for some numbers to start coming in.”

According to the film’s official synopsis, “John David Washington is the new Protagonist in Christopher Nolan‘s original sci-fi action spectacle Tenet. Armed with only one word—Tenet—and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real-time. Not time travel. Inversion.

The film also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Nolan wrote and directed the film, which was produced by Emma Thomas and Nolan. Thomas Hayslip served as executive producer. Nolan’s behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Jennifer Lame, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland, visual effects supervisor Andrew Jackson, and special effects supervisor Scott Fisher. Ludwig Göransson composed the score.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Syncopy Production, a Film by Christopher Nolan, Tenet. Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing Tenet in theaters and IMAX worldwide. The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, suggestive references and brief strong language.”

Tenet is in theaters now.