Here's how much Tenet cost to make. The latest from director Christopher Nolan was originally scheduled to premiere in July, but it was delayed multiple times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Tenet is finally releasing, becoming one of the first major films to come out in theaters since multiplexes reopened after being closed for months. Theater owners, who were hit hard during the health crisis, are counting on Tenet to be a much-needed boost for business.
Tenet is already doing very well at the international box office, but it remains to be seen how it will fare in the United States. Though theaters are open, there are numerous health and safety protocols in place, including limiting attendance. That, coupled with some people choosing to not go to the theater in the midst of the pandemic means Tenet is all but guaranteed to gross less than it would have under normal circumstances. Warner Bros. is obviously hoping audiences are still willing to come out, seeing that they need Tenet to be a sizable hit to be profitable.
The reported production budget for Tenet is somewhere between $200-225 million, making it one of the most expensive films of Nolan's career. That figure is higher than the director's other tentpoles such as The Dark Knight ($185 million), Inception ($160 million), and Interstellar ($165 million). Tenet is more in the ballpark of The Dark Knight Rises, which had a budget around $250 million.
Going by the general rule of thumb (double the production budget is a movie's break even point), Tenet would need to earn around $400 million to recoup its costs. However, it's been reported Tenet needs to earn $800 million to break even. It's worth mentioning that number isn't official, but it is an indication of how much WB invested in the film and the high hopes the studio had. Even if Tenet is able to exceed expectations under the "new normal" circumstances, it's going to face an uphill climb to get to that point. Though Tenet's reviews have been divisive, critics are in agreement it's a movie made to be seen on the big screen, so audiences should be interested in checking it out - so long as they're up for making the trip to the theater.
Nolan is one of the few directors working today who can sell an original genre picture with his name. Inception grossed $869.7 million worldwide, while Interstellar made $698.9 million. Even facing minimal competition, it's highly unlikely Tenet approaches those numbers, meaning WB will probably have to rely on other revenue streams such as on-demand rentals and home media sales to earn more money off Tenet. The studio can't be blamed for green-lighting the film for $225 million; at the time, nobody could have predicted a pandemic would disrupt its release rollout. WB's choice to move forward with Tenet with all the uncertainty is questionable, but they're hoping for the best results.
