LOS ANGELES, July 28 — Director Christopher Nolan’s thriller Tenet, delayed several times by the coronavirus pandemic, will debut in cinemas in over 70 countries starting August 26, AT&T Inc’s Warner Bros. movie studio said yesterday.

The film will open in select US cities over Labour Day weekend, Warner Bros. said in a statement. Labour Day is September 7.

The release date is welcome news for movie theatre operators, who are counting on big-budget movies such as Tenet to help lure audiences out of their homes during the pandemic.

Theatres around the world closed in mid-March to help prevent the coronavirus from spreading. Many have reopened around the world with capacity limits and other safeguards, though most cinemas in the United States remain shuttered.

The AMC and Cineworld movie theatre chains last week pushed back the reopening date for their US theatres to at least mid-August from the end of July.

"Tenet” is a science-fiction spy drama starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson from the British director of hits like The Dark Knight Rises and Inception. Little has been revealed about the plot. The film had originally been scheduled to debut on July 17. — Reuters