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Moviegoers React to Tenet Trailer Declaring Christopher Nolan’s New Movie is “Coming to Theaters” Amid Coronavirus Closures

Moviegoers have mixed reactions to the latest Tenet trailer ending with firm confirmation the […]

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Moviegoers have mixed reactions to the latest Tenet trailer ending with firm confirmation the Christopher Nolan-directed sci-fi thriller is coming to theaters as most movie chains remain shuttered amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The revealing new trailer released Thursday — offering fresh looks at the film’s explosive action and twisty plot led by an international cast of stars, including John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine and Kenneth Branagh — did not include the film’s currently scheduled opening date of July 17 following reports studio Warner Bros. is waiting until early June to decide whether to push Tenet to the August 14 date held by Wonder Woman 1984.

According to a recent report from Deadline, at least 80% of the world’s theaters must be open for Warner Bros. to release Tenet into theaters on July 17 as planned. That includes pivotal theaters in three areas — Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York — as part of the required 3,500 reopened theaters across the U.S. and another 30,000-plus screens worldwide, according to the report.

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A source close to the studio reports the $200 million Tenet moves and delays the Wonder Woman sequel if theaters don’t show positive signs of reopening around the first week of June. Some theaters in recent weeks declared plans — or hopes — of reopening by July, in time for Tenet and Disney’s live-action Mulan releasing a week later on July 24.

A Nevada-based sociologist and professor recently predicted the moviegoing experience won’t be enough for audiences to return to theaters despite the allure of Tenet, currently leading the charge as the first tentpole movie of the summer.

“I think people are going to be hesitant for a while,” Michael Ian Borer told the Las Vegas Review Journal. “It’s going to have to be pitched to them that it’s worth it to get out, see this together, see it on the big screen. I don’t know what that movie looks like. If I did, I’d be making a lot more money right now.”

Some of those potential moviegoers are instead calling for Warner Bros. to make Tenet the next film released directly to digital via premium video on demand, but a veteran industry analyst explained why Tenet and other big-budgeted movies won’t be skipping theaters:

“Unless there is a drastic setback from current plans to gradually reopen cinemas, I wouldn’t bet on [digital releases],” Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com, told CNN Business. “The blockbusters remaining on the schedule have too much dependency on box office revenue.”

Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations, told CNN that Nolan, a noted believer in the theatergoing experience, would push back against Warner Bros. should the studio decide to release his made-for-IMAX feature directly to digital platforms.

“Unless aliens possess his frontal lobe, Nolan will not cave to the cries of digital,” Bock said. “And if Warner Bros. decides digital is the right move, he’ll likely never work with them again.”

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Tenet is scheduled to open only in theaters July 17.

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