Believe it or not, we are on the precipice of “Tenet” finally arriving in theaters around the world. Well, some theaters in some parts of the world. But still, after weeks of delays and months of discussion, Christopher Nolan’s action epic is going to be available on the big screen. And the only question that remains is whether or not people will actually pay to see it?
According to a new report from Deadline, there appears to be plenty of people (relatively speaking) willing to risk being infected with COVID-19 to watch John David Washington and Robert Pattinson bend time and make big explosions. The report claims that in the territories that “Tenet” is being released and pre-sales are happening (namely, the US, UK, and Australia), the film is outpacing the sales of previous Nolan films such as “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk.” But, obviously, there are some caveats.
Saying that pre-sales are outpacing previous Nolan films is factually true, but also a bit misleading. You see, that doesn’t necessarily mean that “Tenet” will have a bigger opening weekend than those other two films. In fact, it’s almost a guarantee it won’t beat those other two opening weekends. In the US, while the pre-sales have been great, those numbers obviously don’t include ticket sales in some of the biggest markets where theaters remain closed, such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Portland, and Philadelphia. Oh and don’t forget full states such as New Jersey, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, and California won’t be showing the feature, as well.
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Needless to say, the US debut isn’t expected to be as massive as a typical blockbuster. And overseas, early estimates point to a $25 million weekend, which is respectable, given the circumstances, but definitely not a record-breaking weekend.
It’s also important to remember that Warner Bros. is playing the long game with “Tenet” and won’t be overly concerned with opening weekend numbers (unless the numbers are either drastically terrible or great). What matters with this film are the box office legs in the weeks to come.
So, who are buying all these tickets? Well, in the US, it appears that folks in the Southern regions are accounting for 45% of the sales in the country. And worldwide, it appears that 70% to 80% of all the ticket purchases are coming from men. Basically, don’t expect to see your grandma eating her popcorn at a socially distant seat in the theater.
READ MORE: Tom Cruise Went To A Crowded Cinema To Watch ‘Tenet’: “Big Movie. Big Screen. Loved It.”
We are entering uncharted territories when it comes to box office predictions and reporting. We haven’t ever experienced a situation like this in the film industry and it’s unclear what will make for a “successful” opening for Warner Bros. and “Tenet.” But we’ll definitely be keen to see where it lands after it debuts this week internationally and begins its preview showings in the US next week.