“Tenet” and “Wonder Woman 1984” — two of the summer’s top Hollywood blockbusters — will be delayed as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread throughout the country.
What’s going on:
Warner Bros. announced late last week that “Tenet” and “Wonder Woman 1984” will be pushed back a few weeks as movie theaters prepare to reopen.
“Tenet” will move from July 17 to July 31.
- Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group (via Variety): “We’re especially thrilled, in this complex and rapidly changing environment, to be bringing Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet,’ a global tentpole of jaw-dropping size, scope and scale, to theaters around the world on July 31. 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.”
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“Wonder Woman 1984” will move from Aug. 14 to Oct. 2.
- This is actually the second time that “Wonder Woman 1984” has been pushed back. The film — starring Gal Gadot — was originally set for release on June 5 before it was delayed to August once movie theaters started to close nationwide.
What this could mean
- “Tenet” was predicted to be the first major film to be released in theaters amid the coronavirus pandemic. Movie theaters — like Cinemark — have waited to fully reopen until there was fresh content to share on their screens, as I wrote about for the Deseret News.
- Now, with a July 31 release date, all eyes turn toward Disney’s “Mulan,” which is expected to open on July 24. The film would be the first major blockbuster to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- Meanwhile, New York and California remain conflicted on when movie theaters will fully reopen. California approved theaters reopening, but there are several reasons why they haven’t. Meanwhile, New York hasn’t announced reopening theaters yet.
- Deadline explained what this means: “It’s a chicken-and-egg scenario: Movie theaters won’t open without major studio product, and major studio product won’t be distributed unless theaters are open. But the go-ahead to reopen comes back to state, county and local governments.”