In some ways, the entirety of the film industry discourse revolves around Warner Bros. over the next month. The studio is releasing Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” in US theaters this weekend, testing the safety protocols of cinemas and becoming the first major blockbuster to arrive in the pandemic era. Then, last night, it was revealed that WB became the first studio with a major production halt after Robert Pattinson tested positive for COVID-19 during filming of ‘The Batman.” And then, next month, WB is expected to release “Wonder Woman 1984” or delay it once again, making the studio’s decision the first big indicator of what this fall is going to look like at the theater. That’s a lot of pressure on the shoulders of CEO Ann Sarnoff.
Speaking to THR, Sarnoff covered all of those topics and seems surprisingly optimistic, even when it comes to the situation surrounding production on “The Batman.” Of course, we can’t really expect the CEO to scream that the sky is falling and the film industry is doomed. So, we likely just have to take her words with a varying amount of salt.
“I think we never expected things to go completely smoothly,” said Sarnoff regarding the shutdown of “The Batman.” “ In fact, as we’ve been getting our protocols ready, we built in contingencies. If someone tests positive, you do contact tracing, you pause, you evaluate, and come back when you can. I think it would have been naïve to think we wouldn’t have certain cases on certain productions. The most important thing is to be ready for when that happens. And we were very much ready.”
Despite being “ready” for Robert Pattinson’s positive test, there’s no word on when production with restart, yet again. Will it be only a couple of weeks or will the studio have to shut down filming for even longer? Sarnoff isn’t saying just yet.
However, what she will talk about is the release of “Tenet” and it’s competition this weekend, Disney’s digital release of “Mulan.”
“I don’t completely understand Disney’s strategy, but they are releasing ‘Mulan’ internationally in some theaters,” Sarnoff said. “I’m rooting for anybody who is getting a movie out. Fans are anxious for new content. I actually went to see ‘Tenet’ last night in Connecticut. I’m in Bedford, New York, and drove 10 minutes to the theater with friends. And it was amazing. It was safe. There were no crowds. I even found a way to eat popcorn with a mask on. Of course, my mask smells like popcorn now.”
While she didn’t share the details of her magical popcorn eating with a face-covering process, it’s clear the CEO is willing to put her own health on the line to support “Tenet” and show fans that WB believes it’s safe to go to the theaters, experts be damned. And, in fact, she explained that there was no point in time when WB even considered releasing Nolan’s film on PVOD or streaming as it “deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
As for the upcoming fall films, including “Wonder Woman 1984,” the October release date is still in place…for now. But one thing is for sure, the superhero sequel is destined for the big screen and not streaming.
“We are still figuring out the strategy for all of our movies,” Sarnoff explained. “We have quite a lot done. Obviously, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is up next. For now, it is where it is. Like I said earlier, certain movies deserve to be on the big screen. My belief is ‘Wonder Woman’ is one of those.”
“Tenet” is in select theaters now and will expand to more locations in the weeks to come.