Warner Bros. delayed the release of Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated time-bending thriller Tenet as well as Wonder Woman 1984, as movie theaters across the country grapple with how to safely reopen as the coronavirus pandemic wages on.
According to a statement in Variety, Warner Bros said Friday that it will push back the release of Tenet to July 31 — two weeks later than the original July 17 release.
“It’s been longer than any of us could’ve imagined since we’ve seen a movie on the big screen, and to acknowledge Chris’ fans as we count down to Tenet‘s opening day, we are also excited to offer his masterpiece Inception in theaters for its 10th anniversary on July 17,” said Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich.
Warner Bros. also announced it would delay the Wonder Woman sequel from a summer release to October 2, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The entire movie industry had been counting on the release of Tenet as the triumphant return of movie theaters closed because of the pandemic.
In late May, Warner released a trailer for the film, which didn’t quite offer much in the way of concrete plot details, but showed mind-bending, time-twisting action sequences. The release of Tenet was meant to be one the first big summer blockbusters to hit theaters, and an important one, too: Nolan himself described the film as one of the most ambitious projects he has taken on to date.
Both films are among a litany that were delayed or outright canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The move to delay the release of both films may also be a signal that the production company lacks confidence in the return on blockbuster releases in theaters this summer: COVID-19 cases continue to rise in many parts of the country, even as some states are re-opening and resuming business as usual.
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