Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Delayed indefinitely.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/tenet-delayed-again-christopher-nolan-1234699068/

“We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature,” said Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement. “We are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that.”

“Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen,” Emmerich said. “We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from exhibitors and remain steadfast in our commitment to the theatrical experience around the world. Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to proliferate, causing us to reevaluate our release dates.”

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/tenet-tickets-on-sale-august-21-1234580302/

Advance ticket sales for Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” begin this Friday, August 21, for three days of sneak previews that start Monday, August 31.

Tickets for regular engagements, which start Thursday, September 3, will be available Thursday, August 27.

These are some of the “Tenet” contract details that Warner Bros. sent to exhibitors, obtained by IndieWire. As IndieWire reported last week, limited advance showings of “Tenet” will be offered for three days prior to September 3. According to the contract, theaters can have one showing per night, no earlier than 5 p.m. Those theaters that screen in premium formats may offer a second show.

To participate in “Tenet,” theaters must agree not only to follow local laws, but also to comply with the not-yet-published but already disseminated safety standards drafted by the National Association of Theater Owners. These include wearing a face mask anywhere in a theater, with the exception of when consuming concessions.

The email notes: “These special terms are being offered to its exhibitor customers specifically for ‘Tenet’ to address the special circumstances in the market… including the high commercial risk from uncertain consumer demand, reopening rules, health and safety regulations, and socially distancing capacity issues.”

As a sign of the times, the first section deals with health issues: “Exhibitor specifically represents and warrants to Warner that it shall comply at all times with all applicable laws and regulations at its theater(s), including without limitation, all laws, orders and standards relating public health and safety, such as rules and protective measures against the contraction and spread of COVID-19 or other illnesses and applicable voluntary health and safety measures and protocols regarding these matters as may be promulgated by the exhibition industry, such as NATO’s published health and safety protocols.”

In addition, Warners also tells theaters they need to provide on-demand information about the theaters’ reopening activities and consumer messaging.

For film rental, Warner Bros. is asking for 63 percent for all weeks of the engagement. That is at the high end, and its inclusion is significant because it varies from some deals in which top chains have preset expectations for how much they will pay based on total domestic gross. Though what the studio asks can be subject to negotiation, Warners holds the upper hand. For top titles like this one, normal practice is all theaters receive the same template.

The demands on number of weeks to play are at the high end:

• “Tenet” must have the largest non-IMAX screen each week, until otherwise agreed
• Single screens – 4 weeks, with a third-weekend holdover figure determinant in place
• Twins – 5+ weeks
• 3 to 8 screens – 8 weeks
• 9+ screens – 12 weeks

As the sole standout initial release, it should be easy to comply with these standards. For those rare single screens, four weeks would lead into “Wonder Woman 1984” (also Warner Bros.) on October 2.

Warners also requires maximum theater marketing directed to publicizing “Tenet,” at no extra cost to the studio, and for moderators at Operation Sports to update the thread title dedicated to the film upon Blzer's requests for the name and release date change. The studio also requires three trailers for upcoming Warner Bros. films before the “Tenet” feature.

Warners also plans film rental collection in a shorter time frame, and ties collection to digital print access. Warners doesn’t want exhibitors to use “Tenet” to pay other bills.

IndieWire has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.

[JayBee74]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

The demands on number of weeks to play are at the high end:

• “Tenet” must have the largest non-IMAX screen each week, until otherwise agreed
• Single screens – 4 weeks, with a third-weekend holdover figure determinant in place
• Twins – 5+ weeks
• 3 to 8 screens – 8 weeks
• 9+ screens – 12 weeks

What would be the earliest I could see Tenet digitally?

On another note:

I wonder if this type of reconfiguration will ever be used or are theater owners guessing that potential customers won't think it adds enough protection if the theater is at 70-100% capacity?

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

What would be the earliest I could see Tenet digitally?

Honestly, I wouldn't look much before Thanksgiving. Obviously Nolan is big on the theatrical experience and they can push this movie outward for a long time, so since they normally like to do Nolan's movies on physical home video (UHD/Blu-ray/DVD) a few weeks before Christmas and we can expect digital to occur before that, this is my completely uninformed guess.

On another note:

I wonder if this type of reconfiguration will ever be used or are theater owners guessing that potential customers won't think it adds enough protection if the theater is at 70-100% capacity?

That would be a more expensive endeavor for theaters (and glass reflects sound, even plexiglass), so I don't know if that's in the cards or not.

Regardless, I'm intending on seeing this movie as soon as humanly possible, and I'm hoping the AMC Metreon in San Francisco will get a 15/70mm IMAX print. It should serve to be well worth the 100-minute travel (now that I don't live in the Bay Area anymore).

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Tickets for early access will go on sale later today. Postings are already available in Regal and Cinemark theaters for states that will be open on time (so California is out). I'm going to try and get a ticket for Reno on Tuesday, September 1st.

As far as timing today, somebody on the NolanFans forum suggested this:

I believe it'll go on sale when they release Travis Scott's song and I believe it's going to be during the NBA games with a special look at the film, first game starts tomorrow at 1:30 EST, but most likely during the game on 9pm EST, the final game of the night.

This lines up a bit with what the did for Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker.

EDIT: Apparently live now through Regal.

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Tickets for early access screening for sale on Regal and Cinemark.

I nabbed a 5:00 for Tuesday, September 1st at 5:00 PM in Reno.

[moe416]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AZGcmvrTX9M" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://youtu.be/AZGcmvrTX9M

[Blzer]

re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

So I drove to Nevada (Reno) this afternoon for a 5:00 showing. Just returned.

I am not going to leave a review right now, it's far too early for that. I will however react a little to try and wrap my head around things. Keep in mind that I didn't see any trailers, so this is me seeing anything about this movie for the first time. I'm sure others won't have as much trouble keeping up if you've seen trailers, hah.

From my end, this film felt both overwhelming and incomprehensible, and neither of those two things are knocks in the slightest. It has earned the need for at least two more theatrical repeat viewings to absorb the story and its mechanics, and to be fair I believe that Christopher Nolan actually made a comprehensible film, and furthermore I think he made it to the point that even his actors understood what was going on when they filmed it (because I didn't feel the same during Inception).

Now I'm not saying that the movie is like Inception, but if I were to liken it to Inception, say that Ellen Page's character was not there for the audience's sake to be explained everything, and instead was just a part of the mission when they talk about things like kicks, architects, dreamers, subconscious projections, time dilation, etc. That's what this movie felt like, which some people may prefer. I mean Tenet explains things, but it doesn't feel the need to rehash them and it doesn't dumb it down for them as if it's all purely exposition. So for those who don't want to be spoonfed the movie's rules, congratulations... I give you Tenet.

I still just can't wrap my head around how this film was made. I don't know what goes on in that man's mind. If it truly is tightly woven and constructed to the point that I can properly make sense of it all, then I just have to give props for the creativity. This is the first time since Memento that I am just perplexed at how he thinks and can even try to make this coherent, much less execute on it. And furthermore, I don't know how this movie was filmed. I mean most of it is relatively straightforward, but there are 2-3 specific sequences where I just question: "How the hell was that done?" I think even if I see a behind-the-scenes, I still won't understand it.

Anyway, those are just early content-free reactions. I'm not even near done talking about this movie, and I haven't even mentioned whether I liked it or not!

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Said I wasn't hitting theaters any time soon, but.......

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

WOW, just WOW!!!

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[Blzer]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

So this was open in a theater about 40 minutes away from me and I checked it out again, which was a necessary viewing for me to figure out how I feel about this movie.

First off, I had a week to absorb the story and elements, and I got to piece more things together off-screen so that this time I was prepared for it on-screen. This time through, I didn't have a headache watching it, which honestly I kind of missed. I liked that the first time through it was making my brain struggle really hard in coping with what I was watching and yet take it all in at the same time.

This time I got to relish in it, yet somehow I wanted it to perplex me again in the same way. It still definitely did, but no headache this time around haha. I think I understand about 95% of what the movie offers as well, whereas the first time I understood like 40% of it. I also got to take in things like the soundtrack, which simply oozed. It is very good, and heightens the on-screen stuff almost more than it deserves.

I'll say this for those who haven't watched it yet. Number one, this movie needs to be watched twice to be properly assessed. Number two, there is a line early on in this movie that is speaking as much to the audience as it is to another character. When watching this movie for the first time: "Don't try to understand it. Feel it." Just let it happen and whoosh over you, it's okay!

Anyway, I still want to be dodgy with the story and elements so I'm really not saying much even still. As far as placement goes, it doesn't top my list of Nolan films as far as liking it, but I think it's an ambitious and technical achievement that it was just done too well to pass it up on those merits. With that said, I put Nolan's films on two separate lists:


Best to worst (and none are bad):

1) The Prestige
2) Tenet
3) Dunkirk
4) Memento
5) Insomnia
6) Batman Begins
7) Interstellar
8) Inception
9) The Dark Knight
10) The Dark Knight Rises
11) Following


Favorite to least (and I love them all):

1) Inception
2) The Dark Knight
3) Interstellar
4) The Dark Knight Rises
5) The Prestige
6) Memento
7) Tenet
8) Dunkirk
9) Batman Begins
10) Insomnia
11) Following

[Smallville102001]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Just saw this tonight after theaters in my area finally opened again like on Wednesday after basically being closed for 6 months out side of like 2 weeks where theaters got to open back in like june. So first new movie i got to see in 6 months. I didn't understand like the last 1/4 or so of the movie but understood most of the rest. I thought the movie was really good very entertaining way better than the junk that was inception. I know people love that movie but that movie i found boring and just way to confusing to where i didn't know what was going on in like 5 minutes.

[TripleCrown9]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

This movie was really trippy.

[itsmb8]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

Saw this a couple Mondays ago with friends from work, great movie. Like others have said, really trippy, but I was able to have a rough understanding of most of it. Will probably need to watch another time or two though.

[Blzer]

Re: Tenet | Christopher Nolan | September 3, 2020

I have now seen this movie five times. I saw it with someone this time (and we hit it off quite well afterward by the way haha), so seeing it with much fuller understanding of the movie combined with the vicarious perspective of watching it for the first time in her eyes (and all in 15/70mm IMAX) combined for the best viewing experience for me so far. I felt a lot more emotion in certain moments and it finally tapped into the 'espionage' genre for me rather than just being action/sci-fi.

We were the only ones in the theater to begin with, and then maybe ten or so more people popped in around us. They were all 5-10 minutes late; as there weren't any trailers beforehand and the parking garage was closed, I'm under the impression they had full intent of arriving by the opening scene(s) and unfortunately weren't able to. For shame, because I love how this film starts. But this still goes to show that I simply don't think a lot of people are aware theaters are open in their area. My accompanied partygoer did not until I brought it up to her, as well. COVID is absolutely not a concern in theaters when they have as little occupancy as I have witnessed in these five theatrical viewings so far.