LOS ANGELES, Sept 12 — Finally some good news has come for Californian Christopher Nolan fans who have been unable to see his latest spy movie Tenet in Los Angeles where cinemas have remained closed because of the pandemic. The film with Robert Pattinson and John David Washington is now scheduled to open in drive-in theatres in the ‘Golden State’ on September 11.
Warner Bros, which previously opposed such a limited distribution, has decided to row back on its decision to delay the release of the potential blockbuster.
Warner Bros. has clearly changed its tune. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the Christopher Nolan movie Tenet will finally be released in drive-ins in the Greater Los Angeles area on September 11. Five theatres have already scheduled screenings, most notably the Paramount Drive-in and the Mission Tiki theatre in Montclair.
The decision has come two weeks after the official release of Tenet in the United States on August 31, when the American studio indicated that the long-awaited feature would not be screened in states where the ban on reopening theatres was still in effect.
Tenet is still not showing in New York and in indoor theatres in Los Angeles, which have remained closed in response to the covid-19 pandemic. This amounts to a severe financial blow for the studio, given that these cities are the two biggest movie markets for the American industry.
Last Tuesday, theatres in Silicon Valley, Orange County and San Diego were granted permission to reopen provided they limited audiences to 25 per cent of their capacity or no more than 100 people. Approximately 70 per cent of theatres are now back in business, and many of them have timed their reopening to coincide with the release of Tenet in order to optimise ticket sales.
The drastic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has given a new lease of life to American drive-ins, which were more often than not the only venues that could comply with rules on social distancing. Since its release in North America, Tenet has garnered more than US$20 million (RM83 million) in North American receipts, making it the highest grossing movie to be released in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. — AFP-Relaxnews
