ZAMM.COM

When Warner Bros. opened Christopher Nolan’s TENET in theatres Sept. 3, 2020, the pandemic had nearly destroyed the movie business.

The sci-fi thriller was Hollywood’s first tent-pole to hit theatres during the Covid crisis. Its Labor Day weekend release, which began Th., Sept. 3 at 2,810 theatres, did $11.6M for the four-day holiday weekend. That wouldn’t have been anything to shout about normally, but it was enough to show that moviegoers would return to the multiplexes to see films they really wanted to see.

TENET, whose stars included John David Washington, Robert Pattinson & Elizabeth Debicki, was exhibitors’ best news in years. Produced for  $205M, it grossed only $365.3M globally, but that number seemed huge given the pandemic’s death grip on cinemas. It was the first indication that streaming wouldn’t kill the movie business as Wall Street had warned.

Every studio responded to the streaming threat its own way, but Warners’ reaction was the most extreme — it decided to open all its theatrical films day & date through 2021 on its HBO Max streaming channel. That response was vigorously denounced by many A-List filmmakers — including Nolan, who in September 2021 announced that after 19 years at WB he and his production company, Syncopy, were leaving to make his next film at Universal.

That “next film,” of course, turned out to be OPPENHEIMER, which cost $100M to make and did $975.5M worldwide after opening July 21, 2023. It also won seven Oscars, including best picture, directing (Nolan) & adapted screenplay (Nolan). Universal and OPPENHEIMER catapulted Nolan to a glittering awards status he’d never enjoyed at WB.

Nolan had taken over five years, starting in 2014, to write TENET’s screenplay, but had actually been thinking about its story for some 20 years. He began pre-production on TENET in late 2018 and did casting in March 2019. A fast moving six months of principal photography followed from May through November in the U.S., U.K., Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy & Norway.

Warners originally planned to open TENET domestically July 17, 2020 in IMAX, 35mm, and 70mm. The pandemic delayed it to July 31 and then it was pushed to Aug. 12. The studio’s international release in 70 territories started Aug. 26 followed by the Sept. 3 domestic launch.

Although TENET made a big impact in the marketplace by proving theatrical movies weren’t dead, it had almost no impact at the Oscars. It was nominated only for Production Design & Visual Effects, winning in the latter category.

Reports at the time said what may have kept it out of prime races like picture & directing was that Warners didn’t screen TENET on the Academy’s membership streaming platform or send out DVD screeners for home viewing. So Academy members who weren’t yet going back to theatres may just not have seen TENET before they voted.