Seth Rogen has jokingly said that Christopher Nolan was trying to kill his greatest fans by trying to release Tenet in theaters in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic in July. Nolan's blockbuster was supposed to be released at the height of summer, on July 17, but has been pushed back three times, first to July 31, then to August 12. The release was then delayed indefinitely, before Warner Bros. announced a new release strategy, in which the hotly anticipated movie will be released in a number of countries on August 26, and will then hit select US cities on September 3.
Tenet has long been seen as the marker for other studios, who have all been waiting to see what happens with Nolan's latest before deciding whether to go ahead with their big-budget releases in theaters. The shutdown has also affected lower budget movies, including Rogen's upcoming An American Pickle. The comedy, which sees Rogen take on the dual roles of a Brooklyn app developer and his long-lost ancestor who is brought to life in the modern age thanks to a pickling accident, was initially meant to be released in theaters by Sony this summer. But the movie was acquired by HBO Max, and will debut on the streaming service this Thursday instead of in theaters.
Now Rogen, speaking to THR, jokes that Nolan was attempting to kill fans by planning to release Tenet in theaters in July. The actor and director was speaking about his cautious approach to releasing movies during the pandemic, saying that he, like everyone else, was waiting to see what Nolan would do. Speaking with his tongue firmly in his cheek, Rogen said the mantra on Zoom calls with his production company partners has been "WWCND, or What would Chris Nolan do?" You can see his full comments below.
"I'm waiting to see what Chris Nolan does. 'WWCND' is basically what we're saying at all times. 'What would Chris Nolan do?' For a while, it seemed like the answer was to kill his greatest fans. But that's not the answer of today, it seems, so that's good. But we have no idea. We don't want to be the first to rush into anything."
While Rogen is clearly poking fun at Nolan's seeming desperate desire to ensure his movie is the first to get moviegoers back into theaters, there is an element of truth to what he's saying. The entire film industry seems to be waiting to see what happens with Tenet, given the risks associated with releasing a movie with such a massive budget at a time when no one knows just how many people are willing to risk spending two or three hours in a cramped indoor venue.
With reports that Tenet needs to make $800-million just to break even, it's a massive risk for Warner Bros. However, given there will be almost no competition for the movie, it could turn out to be a gamble that pays off handsomely for the studio. Only time will tell, but it's clear that while Nolan doesn't actually want to kill his fans, he is taking a risk by trying to get his fans into theaters before the pandemic has run its course.
Source: THR