Tenet Removed From Theatrical Release Calendar, Will Get Unconventional Release

Deadline reports that Warner Bros. has removed Tenet from its theatrical release calendar as theaters in major cities like New York and Los Angeles remain closed. The plan now is to do an unconventional release for the film, which likely means the movie will be released in countries like China, South Korea, and Japan, as well as European countries, before it is released in the United States, since those countries have managed the coronavirus pandemic successfully and most theaters are open.

As for when the film will be released in the United States, only about 1000 of the country’s 5000 theaters are open, along with drive-ins, and the movie may be released on those screens even if major markets like New York City and Los Angeles remain closed. With cases continuing to surge in the U.S., a nationwide release won’t be possible for a long time.

Warner Bros. has also announced that The Conjuring 3 has been pushed back from its September 11th release date to June 4th of next year. It’s possible that Tenet will start its unorthodox U.S. rollout on September 11th.

“Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen,” said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group in a statement this morning. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from exhibitors and remain steadfast in our commitment to the theatrical experience around the world. Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to proliferate, causing us to reevaluate our release dates. Amidst all this continued uncertainty, we have decided to vacate the current dates for our next two releases. We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature. We are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that. Additionally, we will be moving the next installment from our most-successful horror franchise, The Conjuring 3, to June 4, 2021.”