Visionary filmmaker Christopher Nolan has been very vocal about his desire for audiences to see his latest film Tenet in theaters amidst a global pandemic, so YouTuber Bob Wulff transferred the entire movie onto Game Boy Advance cartridges out of spite. Christopher Nolan’s tenth film as a writer/director was initially one of the most highly anticipated blockbusters of the summer, but its theatrical rollout was significantly interrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After being delayed three times, Tenet eventually saw a September 3rd premiere in the United States, becoming the first Hollywood tentpole to release in theaters after their extended hiatus.
Nolan and Warner Bros. desperately hoped Tenet’s release would rejuvenate the theater industry, even though many movie theaters remain closed in the United States. Due to these unfortunate circumstances, Tenet grossed an underwhelming $57.9 million domestically and $363.1 million worldwide, failing to make up for its high production and marketing budget. Though, Nolan remained adamant about seeing Tenet in a theater, saying that its “image and sound really needs to be enjoyed in your theaters on the big screen."
Now, purely out of spite, YouTuber Bob Wulff decided to transfer the 2-hour-30 minute time-bending blockbuster onto Game Boy Advance video cartridges. “This is quite possibly the worst way to view Tenet," Wulff admits. Since 30 minutes is the maximum capacity for a Game Boy Advance cartridge, Wulff had to split Tenet across five cartridges and even made custom labels for his comical creation. See how Wulff accomplished this feat below:
A few other technical feats Wulff had to overcome to make this transfer possible include reducing the film’s resolution down to 192 x 128, which still appears blurry on the Game Boy Advance’s 240 x 160 screen. He also had to compress the film down to a measly six frames per second. The result is the complete antithesis of the premium IMAX experience that Nolan values so highly.
After witnessing Tenet’s box office flop, Warner Bros. decided to adopt a simultaneous streaming and theatrical release strategy for their 2021 movie slate, a move Nolan strongly opposed. Due to this dispute, Tenet will likely be the last movie Nolan will make for Warner Bros., the studio that has distributed every one of his films since Insomnia in 2002. Considering Nolan’s opinion on streaming services and viewing movies on home televisions, just imagine how Nolan would react to Tenet being viewed on the minuscule screen of a Game Boy Advance.
Source: Wulff Den