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Inception Christopher Nolan perception of time manipulation Memento Tenet trailer Interstellar Tenet delayed indefinitely Warner Bros. Christopher Nolan covid-19 coronavirus delay

Tenet Delayed Again, but This Time with No New Release Date

This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Tenet (alongsideĀ Mulan) has been the bellwether of the film industry since Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan have stubbornly insisted that it would receive a theatrical release and that release would be this summer. However, COVID-19 has finally forced the studio and director to buckle. They have not only delayed the film once again but have removed it from their release calendar, giving it no new release date.

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This can only be seen as a massive setback for the film industry and theaters. Tenet held on to its original July 17 release date longer than any major blockbuster and was supposed to be the film that kicked off the reopening of theaters across the country. However, as COVID-19 continued to spread, it was clear that the date wasn’t going to be met and the film was finally pushed back twice, eventually landing on Aug. 12. The hope at the time was that the disease was dissipating quickly enough that incremental delays would be enough. However, after multiple states opened too early, causing record-breaking amounts of the disease throughout much of the U.S., it became clear that theaters would not be opening and WB is obviously throwing in the towel.

ā€œWe will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolanā€™s wholly original and mind-blowing feature,ā€ said Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich. ā€œWe are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that.ā€

A non-traditional release seems to mean thatĀ Tenet could roll out internationally first and release in some parts of the U.S. before others (e.g., cities where theaters open because of lower COVID-19 rates). This move could signal an even more aggressive move away from U.S. box offices that was already occurring before the pandemic.

In other news, WB also delayedĀ The Conjuring 3 due to shooting delays. The film was set to release on Sept. 11 of this year but has now been moved to June 4, 2021.


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Matthew Razak
Matthew Razak is a News Writer and film aficionado at Escapist. He has been writing for Escapist for nearly five years and has nearly 20 years of experience reviewing and talking about movies, TV shows, and video games for both print and online outlets. He has a degree in Film from Vassar College and a degree in gaming from growing up in the '80s and '90s. He runs the website Flixist.com and has written for The Washington Post, Destructoid, MTV, and more. He will gladly talk your ear off about horror, Marvel, Stallone, James Bond movies, Doctor Who, Zelda, and Star Trek.