Christopher Nolan

[DanHocker]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

[webstar1000]

So I guess Tenet will be a July 2021 release then?

7/17 if I had to guess...

[mae]

https://deadline.com/2020/07/tenet-r...us-1202970413/

Warner Bros. is taking Tenet off the theatrical release calendar for now, because the U.S. major circuits remain closed in New York and Los Angeles due to coronavirus. Warner Bros is now prepping the film for an unconventional theatrical rollout, which won’t be a global day-and-date release that was expected.

What does Warner Bros. mean by unconventional? Essentially, with theaters reopening in China, Asian markets like South Korea vibrant, and other offshore territories in Europe and Japan coming back on line, there is a good probability that the Christopher Nolan movie will open abroad first. In regards to the U.S., where drive-ins are dominating the business and just over 1,000 of the nation’s 5,000 theaters are open, Tenet is poised to play wherever and whenever it can — even if New York City and Los Angeles aren’t back on line.

The studio also announced that Conjuring 3 is moving from its Sept. 11 release date to June 4 next year, as we first told you on June 30. I’ve heard from exhibition sources a scenario whereby Tenet possibly starts its U.S. rollout on Sept. 11, but that of course isn’t definite yet.

Warner Bros. is looking forward to a long theatrical tail on Tenet as Nolan is a champion of the big screen, and I understand there aren’t any plans to collapse the window, i.e. making the John David Washington movie available in homes shortly (either on HBO Max or PVOD) after a brief theatrical debut. The studio is expecting to draw two-thirds of the film’s box office from overseas, so a theatrical play is at the top of their mindset.

At this time, the studio is rewriting the distribution playbook in real time and will remain flexible in response to the erratic COVID-19 world we live in. Above all, Warner Bros isn’t turning its back on exhibition.

It will be interesting to see how the other major studios which had movies around Tenet, i.e. Disney with Mulan on Aug. 21, Solstice Studios with Unhinged on July 31, Sony/Tri-Star with The Broken Hearts Gallery on Aug. 7, United Artists Releasing/Orion’s Bill & Ted Face the Music respond. All of these movies having been rescheduling as a block with Tenet‘s shift from July 17 to July 31 to previously Aug. 12. The major circuits–AMC, Regal, Cinemark– have held off on reopening, even in markets were, it’s OK, largely due to the fact that there isn’t any major studio product.

“Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group in a statement this morning. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from exhibitors and remain steadfast in our commitment to the theatrical experience around the world. Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to proliferate, causing us to reevaluate our release dates. Amidst all this continued uncertainty, we have decided to vacate the current dates for our next two releases. We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature. We are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that. Additionally, we will be moving the next installment from our most-successful horror franchise, The Conjuring 3, to June 4, 2021.”

Nolan has been eager to be on the forefront of the effort to reopen theaters but Warner Bros has had to move the film repeatedly so what happened this morning isn’t a surprise. All Nolan movies carry event-sized budgets, so there is plenty of risk here. The studio has been playing Tenet commercials right along that hint at a mind bending concept on the order of Inception.

In addition, Warners is looking at a non-traditional marketing campaign for Tenet as well, which will include less TV and outdoor, more digital, along with a more affordable and shorter campaign window. I’ve heard for quite some time that the studio has a campaign locked and ready to go.

Today’s release date changes only pertains to Tenet and The Conjuring 3. Wonder Woman 1984 and Legendary’s Dune remain scheduled respectively for October 2 and December 18.

[mae]

[Merlin1958]

There are commercials here in AZ for an August 12th release in theaters.


If it opens in theaters I'll be there with my mask on, popcorn at the ready!!!! lol

[Still Servant]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

[DanHocker]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

[Ricky]

Yeah, they're just gonna have to postpone the release until next summer. Everything else from this summer is getting pushed to next year so they might as well just chalk it up to a lost season. Like Mike said, there really aren't movies being produced right now so it shouldn't be an issue in that way. Theaters not making money now is another consideration, though, so who knows what things will look like whenever they eventually open. AMC says they're opening on 7/30 but I just don't see it happening.

[webstar1000]

Every theatre here is open and at 50-70% capacity... and busy.
They are not charging much and people miss the movies.

[Still Servant]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

True, we've seen studios release a few films digitally. A film like Trolls did really well. I think movies aimed towards children are going to do better. That being said, have we seen a large studio film debut on digital? Until something like Wonder Woman drops on streaming and forgoes theaters, I don't think we are going to see a major shift anytime soon. Once one studio does it and it's a success, then the rest will follow.

[DanHocker]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

True, we've seen studios release a few films digitally. A film like Trolls did really well. I think movies aimed towards children are going to do better. That being said, have we seen a large studio film debut on digital? Until something like Wonder Woman drops on streaming and forgoes theaters, I don't think we are going to see a major shift anytime soon. Once one studio does it and it's a success, then the rest will follow.

My guess will be either Disney or WB will be the first. Both companies have major streaming services they're pushing hard right now with Disney+ and HBO Max. I think if either company does it, and it works, others will follow. I kinda only see it as a win for the studios if they can make it work. Less people taking a piece of the pie so to speak. In ways I both like and hate it.

[DanHocker]

Every theatre here is open and at 50-70% capacity... and busy.
They are not charging much and people miss the movies.

Fortunately for you, Canada has handled this pandemic much better than we have. We're kinda just spiraling out of control.

[webstar1000]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

True, we've seen studios release a few films digitally. A film like Trolls did really well. I think movies aimed towards children are going to do better. That being said, have we seen a large studio film debut on digital? Until something like Wonder Woman drops on streaming and forgoes theaters, I don't think we are going to see a major shift anytime soon. Once one studio does it and it's a success, then the rest will follow.

My guess will be either Disney or WB will be the first. Both companies have major streaming services they're pushing hard right now with Disney+ and HBO Max. I think if either company does it, and it works, others will follow. I kinda only see it as a win for the studios if they can make it work. Less people taking a piece of the pie so to speak. In ways I both like and hate it.

I cannot see them doing that... here is why... There is a lot more renvue to be had by SHARING both platforms. A Marvel Movie and a show gets them the big box office and the streamers .. .BOTH. I just don't see them stopping the theaters... but I don't have a crystal ball either. haha

[DanHocker]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

True, we've seen studios release a few films digitally. A film like Trolls did really well. I think movies aimed towards children are going to do better. That being said, have we seen a large studio film debut on digital? Until something like Wonder Woman drops on streaming and forgoes theaters, I don't think we are going to see a major shift anytime soon. Once one studio does it and it's a success, then the rest will follow.

My guess will be either Disney or WB will be the first. Both companies have major streaming services they're pushing hard right now with Disney+ and HBO Max. I think if either company does it, and it works, others will follow. I kinda only see it as a win for the studios if they can make it work. Less people taking a piece of the pie so to speak. In ways I both like and hate it.

I cannot see them doing that... here is why... There is a lot more renvue to be had by SHARING both platforms. A Marvel Movie and a show gets them the big box office and the streamers .. .BOTH. I just don't see them stopping the theaters... but I don't have a crystal ball either. haha

I see it more with HBO Max, since it's the newer service and they're still in the big push for subscribers. Disney isn't really pushing hard with Disney+. I'm actually fairly disappointed with my Disney+ subscription right now, as I find it severely lacking in the original content department.

That said I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility for either of these companies to put them out for the "premium" rental. $20 for a digital rental. If implemented correctly with the right move that could generate even more income than ticket sales. I don't know if we'll ever really know how movies that have attempted this actually did though. The biggest example I can think of is The King of Staten Island. Which under normal circumstances would have probably made between 80 and 200 million (based off of Judd Apatow's past work). At the end of the day though I mostly think it just largely depends on how long this all drags on for.

[webstar1000]

Honestly I have no idea what these companies are going to do. Do they sit on it for a year? Do they release them for the premium "rental" costs in the US and let them hit theaters in other countries? Do they just go straight rental and be done with it? No idea what makes the most sense for them financially.

I just think they are going to have to wait to release them. It's not like production has started on many films, so they won't have a whole bunch of films ready to go. Maybe this will help make foreign films more popular. At this rate, the way the rest of the world is handling things, they are going to be back to normal in no time.

We "patriots" are going to have to wait a hell of a lot longer.

It's possible, but at the same time in a sense by not releasing them in their eyes they're leaving money on the table. At some point I think they're just going to cut their losses and release the movies so they can at least make some money back on the projects. We've already seen it with a bunch of movies this year. Stuff that was originally planned for theaters but has gone to this "premium rental" model.

On top of all this though, is how much is the theater industry going to change once we come out the other side of COVID? How many of these companies aren't going to be able to recover from being shut down for months on end? At the end of this all we may be looking at a drastic shift in the way movies are released in the US. I don't necessarily like it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the studios haven't been discussing how to make it happen already.

True, we've seen studios release a few films digitally. A film like Trolls did really well. I think movies aimed towards children are going to do better. That being said, have we seen a large studio film debut on digital? Until something like Wonder Woman drops on streaming and forgoes theaters, I don't think we are going to see a major shift anytime soon. Once one studio does it and it's a success, then the rest will follow.

My guess will be either Disney or WB will be the first. Both companies have major streaming services they're pushing hard right now with Disney+ and HBO Max. I think if either company does it, and it works, others will follow. I kinda only see it as a win for the studios if they can make it work. Less people taking a piece of the pie so to speak. In ways I both like and hate it.

I cannot see them doing that... here is why... There is a lot more renvue to be had by SHARING both platforms. A Marvel Movie and a show gets them the big box office and the streamers .. .BOTH. I just don't see them stopping the theaters... but I don't have a crystal ball either. haha

I see it more with HBO Max, since it's the newer service and they're still in the big push for subscribers. Disney isn't really pushing hard with Disney+. I'm actually fairly disappointed with my Disney+ subscription right now, as I find it severely lacking in the original content department.

That said I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility for either of these companies to put them out for the "premium" rental. $20 for a digital rental. If implemented correctly with the right move that could generate even more income than ticket sales. I don't know if we'll ever really know how movies that have attempted this actually did though. The biggest example I can think of is The King of Staten Island. Which under normal circumstances would have probably made between 80 and 200 million (based off of Judd Apatow's past work). At the end of the day though I mostly think it just largely depends on how long this all drags on for.

True... the word at my theater I just got is that WE ARE going to be getting Tenet next month!!! Wonder if it will be a 'staggered' roll out with various countries?

[mae]

Wonder if it will be a 'staggered' roll out with various countries?

I think that's what that Deadline article from earlier talked about. Sounds like WB will be opening it up in places like China, South Korea, and Japan, and some European countries first.

[fernandito]

Oh boy, I can't wait to read spoilers for it 5 months before I get to see it

[webstar1000]

Oh boy, I can't wait to read spoilers for it 5 months before I get to see it

Ill PM you them after I get to see it. JK

[fernandito]

I'll just go back in time Tenet style to unsee them

[webstar1000]

I'll just go back in time Tenet style to unsee them

ahahahahahah

[Still Servant]

I told my theater once they open up, I'm going to the movies and I'm going to stay in the theater The Terminal style. There's a pending restraining order.

[Ricky]

[fernandito]

Now that we're gonna have to wait forever to watch it, let's talk about a theory that's been floating around the web - what do y'all think about the notion that Tenet might be some kinda sequel, prequel, connected story to Inception?

[Still Servant]

Now that we're gonna have to wait forever to watch it, let's talk about a theory that's been floating around the web - what do y'all think about the notion that Tenet might be some kinda sequel, prequel, connected story to Inception?

I had not heard that. I will have to check it out. Is the theory that Tenet takes place within a dream or something?

[Ricky]

Now that we're gonna have to wait forever to watch it, let's talk about a theory that's been floating around the web - what do y'all think about the notion that Tenet might be some kinda sequel, prequel, connected story to Inception?

I was getting Inception vibes from some of the cast interviews and marketing materials, but I don't think it'll be overtly connected. Maybe thematically or something, but not like a sequel or anything. I could end up being wrong, but I think Nolan's playing with time in a different way than he did in Inception...and one day, far, far, far into the future, we'll figure out what way that is.