Christopher Nolan Hesitant to Delay ‘Tenet’ Further Because He Wants to Show Faith in Movie Theaters

All eyes remain on Tenet, Christopher Nolan‘s latest mind-bending spectacle. Will the film really come out this summer? Or will Warner Bros. keep delaying it every two weeks as the coronavirus pandemic continues to linger with no signs of going away? We really can’t say for sure, but if it were up to Christopher Nolan, Tenet would be opening sooner rather than later. A new report reveals that Warner Bros. suggested pushing the Tenet release date back a few months, but Nolan didn’t go for it. Why? Because he wants to show faith in movie theaters.

I like Christopher Nolan’s movies. Hell, I even love some of them. And I’m very excited to see Tenet…eventually. However, Mr. Nolan is making it increasingly hard for me to stay in his corner these days. Nolan’s Tenet was originally set to open July 17, and the entire movie industry – studios, theater owners, etc. – were looking to July as their big comeback month. The month that would cast aside the pain of shutdowns and prove that the summer movie season could be saved.

But that didn’t happen. Instead, the coronavirus situation continued to worsen across the country. Warner Bros. eventually decided to push Tenet to July 31, and then push it again to August 12. But why would the studio only push it back a few weeks rather than months? Are they naive enough to think that everything will be magically back to normal in a matter of weeks?

No, they’re not. But according to a report from THR, they’re following Nolan’s lead. Warner Bros. reportedly laid out several different scenarios for Nolan in June, suggesting that moving the movie back months would ultimately be better for box office numbers. But Nolan wasn’t having it. The director allegedly said that keeping Tenet‘s summer release date wasn’t about money – it was instead about “the desire to be the first big studio film back in theaters, to show faith in the form and solidarity with exhibitors, when they’re allowed to open and say they’re ready.”

How are we to interpret this? I’m sure there will be an immediate jump to label Nolan out-of-touch, and honestly, that’s fair at this point. I remain steadfast in my belief that Nolan isn’t against pushing Tenet out of malice. But I do think his hubris is coloring his thought process and making this whole endeavor messier than it need be.

I get it: movie theaters can’t survive being shut down forever, and Nolan is a big proponent of the theatrical experience. But the coronavirus doesn’t give a damn about the theatrical experience. It’s not something to be bargained with. So the question remains: will Nolan finally admit defeat and let Tenet be pushed back months, perhaps into 2021? Or will he continue to stick to his guns and insist the movie open this summer? Perhaps, in the end, states will make the decision for him. If movie theaters end up not being able to reopen anytime soon due to increasing spikes of the virus, there’s no other option left but to move the film into the future.

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