Tenet To Finally Get New York City Theatrical Release

It's been nearly a year since Christopher Nolan's Tenet opened in theaters nationwide last summer, the first film to do so after theaters were shuttered due to the pandemic, but now the film is finally getting its New York City theatrical debut. On Friday, March 5th, Tenet will play in AMC Lincoln Square, AMC Empire, AMC Kips Bay, Village East by Angelika, and Showcase Cinemas Jamaica (via Deadline). The film's debut in New York City theaters comes as cinemas are allowed to reopen in the city on Friday, albeit at a limited capacity.

Tenet being released in New York City comes three months after the film made it to the big screen in the Los Angeles market -- the film screened at the Hollywood Theater Legion Drive-in at Post 43 from December 5th to December 16th last year -- and is a significant moment, symbolically speaking. Per Deadline's report, Nolan was a major proponent of New York reopening theaters. Nolan has also been vocal about Tenet needing to be seen on the big screen as opposed to home release or streaming, telling CineEurope last year that the film was designed with a theatrical experience in mind.

"I think of all of the films that I've made, this is perhaps the one that is most designed for the audience experience, the big screen experience," Nolan said at the time. "This is a film whose image and sound really needs to be enjoyed in your theaters on the big screen and we're very, very excited for you to see what it is we've done. We've made big films in the past, but this is a film whose global reach and level of action is beyond anything we've ever attempted before. I think we only would have been able to pull off this film with the level of experience we've had doing action films in the past."

Tenet was originally released in theaters in the United States on September 3, 2020, and was the film that many hoped would revive movie theater attendance. The film has made over $364 million globally to date and is currently available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Theaters in New York City are allowed to open on March 5th but are restricted to filling their auditoriums at just 25 percent capacity and no more than 50 people are allowed inside at once. Patrons will be required to wear masks and adhere to assigned seating while theaters are required to have "enhanced air filtration systems". New York theaters outside of the city have been allowed to reopen since October.

Are you excited that Tenet is finally getting its New York City theatrical release? Let us know in the comments.