All eyes on Tenet, the spy movie with everything to prove

Covid-19 crisis means Christopher Nolan’s new film will be a bellwether for all cinema

Tenet: Jack Cutmore-Scott, John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in Christopher Nolan’s new film

Tenet: Jack Cutmore-Scott, John David Washington and Robert Pattinson in Christopher Nolan’s new film

Already larger in scale than anything the acclaimed director has attempted before, the coronavirus crisis means the success of Christopher Nolan’s new film is a bellwether for all cinema

After some Covid-19 related shuffling, the Hollywood blockbuster will return in no little style on August 26th. Tenet, the 11th feature from Christopher Nolan, has leaped from its original July 17th release date to an international debut in late August and a North American opening – in major cities only – on September 3rd.

At a moment when the theatrical circuit is holding out for a tentpole that will bring audiences back to cinemas, all eyes are on Tenet. Last May, the Washington Post quoted a Cassandra warning from an anonymous Hollywood studio insider: “. . . If Tenet doesn’t come out or doesn’t succeed, every other company goes home. It’s no movies until Christmas.” A recent Variety report noted that Tenet must “take in roughly $700 million globally to make a profit”.

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