The release date of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has been delayed by two weeks, amid lingering concerns over theater closures due to the coronavirus.
The mysterious big-budget science fiction film was originally set for July 17, and theaters hoped it would kick-start the industry’s return from a prolonged shutdown because of public health concerns. It now will be released July 31, said Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, on Friday.
The AT&T-owned studio will instead rerelease Nolan’s high-concept action-mystery “Inception” on July 17, to celebrate the film’s 10th anniversary. The studio also will move sequel “Wonder Woman 1984″ from a planned Aug. 14 opening to Oct. 2, as announced on social media by star Gal Gadot.
In addition, the Roald Dahl adaptation “Witches” moves off Oct. 9 to a TBD date; sequel “Godzilla vs. Kong” moves from Nov. 20 to May 21, 2021; animated feature “Tom & Jerry” goes from Dec. 23 to March 5, 2021; and the untitled “Matrix” revival pushes back from May 21, 2021, to April 1, 2022.
If “Tenet” had remained on its assigned date, it would have been the first big-budget studio release in theaters since they shut down in mid-March. The change leaves Walt Disney Co.’s “Mulan” live-action remake, currently scheduled to open July 24, with the task of bringing patrons back to theaters in large numbers.
Analysts had long expected “Tenet’s” release to move back, possibly into August. Theater companies, however, insisted that they would be open in time to support the $190-million budgeted picture in July. AMC Theatres this week said it expected almost all of its locations to open by that month.
