Christopher Nolan's Tenet is officially set for a September release in China. As one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the year, a lot of eyes have been on Tenet. It was once going to be the first major blockbuster to be released in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic back in July, but with movie theaters largely closed in major markets, Warner Bros. opted to shift it to first the end of July, then to August. As the situation didn't immediately improve, the studio decided to try something new: Tenet will debut in 70 countries (such as Canada and some European locations) on August 26 before rolling out in select US locations on September 3.
A big question mark for Tenet has been its China release. With a runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes, Tenet is technically too long for the coronavirus regulations China has in place, which says no movie can run longer than 2 hours. However, as Chinese theaters had been showing older films that were longer than 2 hours, it seemed likely that this would change. Indeed, news broke last week that Tenet has been approved for release in China, having passed government approvals.
Variety reports Tenet is now scheduled to be released in China on September 4, just one day after it debuts in the US. While there are other Hollywood films planned for release throughout August, like Disney's Onward and Universal's Trolls World Tour, Tenet is arguably the biggest film to arrive since the pandemic began. It could provide some much-needed business to theaters struggling to reopen following their lengthy closures.
Warner Bros. is definitely pinning a lot of hopes on Tenet's performance in China. A new trailer geared towards Chinese audiences was just revealed, which comes with a message from Nolan himself as well as some new footage. Reportedly, Tenet needs to make $800 million to break even after marketing costs, and China has proven to be a lucrative market for some Hollywood blockbusters. However, it remains to be seen if the various coronavirus regulations, as well as general uncertainty about returning to theaters, will impact its performance.
In case it wasn't already apparent, Tenet is perhaps the most unconventional blockbuster to emerge in recent years. With its unique marketing strategy and mysterious plot, there are a lot of questions surrounding Nolan's latest time-bending adventure. There's definitely a hunger for some new films, but movie theaters are still considered risky places. Exactly how well Tenet will do remains to be seen, but it can be assured that all eyes will be on it when it begins rolling out in a few weeks.
Source: Variety
