Tenet On-Demand Release Was Never Even Considered By Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. CEO Ann Sarnoff says that there was never any thought of releasing Tenet on-demand, saying it deserves to be seen in theaters. The blockbuster releases in theaters in the USA today, at least the ones that are open, after making an impressive $53 million debut in its opening international weekend last week. It’s the second major cinema release from a major studio to debut in the USA following the reopening of theaters after the pandemic.

Many have hailed Tenet as the so-called savior of the cinema business, given that it is expected to draw audiences back to theaters for the first time in months. The film is Christopher Nolan’s latest mind-bending spy thriller, starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh in a tale involving the concept of time inversion. While it did well in the international market last week, critics weren’t overly effusive about it, and audiences have complained that the bad sound mix makes the already convoluted plot almost impossible to understand. However, anticipation for the movie is so high in the USA that AMC, the largest theater chain in North America, made sure 70% of its theaters were open in time for the release.

And now Sarnoff, the CEO at Warner Bros., the studio behind Tenet, has told THR that there were never any plans to release the movie on-demand. Calling it “cinematic” and “beautiful,” Sarnoff insists that it deserves a big-screen theater release. Earlier in the interview, Sarnoff speaks about certain films needing to be seen in theaters and believes Nolan’s latest blockbuster is one of those. You can read her full comments below.

No. It is a remarkable, cinematic, beautiful film. It is so impactful. It is a movie meant for the big screen. I’m very proud of our approach. A lot of people are pushing stuff into next year. Tenet absolutely deserves to be seen in theaters.

While one can understand Sarnoff’s rationale that Tenet is the kind of movie that needs to be seen on a big screen to be truly appreciated, it’s a little harder to understand why it was released when the pandemic is still affecting large parts of the world, including two of the biggest movie markets – Los Angeles and New York. One assumes that Tenet’s overall box office take will be affected as a result. And releasing on-demand certainly wasn’t the only choice.

The studio could have shifted Tenet’s release to next year, as many studios have done with their films, and it likely would have made lots more money than it will end up taking. The release strategy has even affected Screen Rant’s coverage of the movie, as we won’t be reviewing it until a safer option than going to theaters is available. Nevertheless, Sarnoff is confident in her decision, saying that it was their only option. Only time, inverted or not, will tell.