'Tenet' May Have Killed Cinema

If Christopher Nolan's time inversion thriller was a musical, comedy or even a lighter 007 homage, it would have stood a better chance at "saving cinema" and allowing theatres to get back up and running

John David Washington in 'Tenet' (CREDIT: Warner Bros.)

                      by Jack Linsdell

Christopher Nolan's Tenet has not "saved cinema". In fact, it's underwhelming (and arguably catastrophic) box office run thus far has done the exact opposite. After two weeks, the John David Washington/Robert Pattinson time inversion thriller is bombing with just $207 million on a pricey $200 million budget. It's international run is actually not that bad all things considering ($178 million), but domestically it's measly $29 million cume doesn't inspire much optimism for cinema, even if only 70% of the theatres are open over there, none of which are in key states like California. To stand any chance of breaking even, Tenet will need to gross at least $400-450 million worldwide to counter that expensive production budget, plus marketing costs. And, while the movie may rally around between now and November, it's more likely it'll earn nearer $350 million.

Even if you take away all the COVID-related factors, Tenet was not an example of excellent cinema, neither was it a film that got rave reviews or red hot buzz. Considering Christopher Nolan is perhaps one of the only "butts in seats" marquee directors around today, it's worrying when even he can't make audiences show up to their local complex. Nolan, for all his artistry and talent, is still expected to make 20% of first-dollar grosses for a movie that not only financially bombed (and lost money for the studio), but was neither high-quality popcorn entertainment or a well-reviewed masterpiece either. 

For all the (seemingly) noble intentions from Nolan and Warner Bros. to make Tenet a lifeline for reopening theatres, all the sci-fi blockbuster has achieved is to prove that cinema is on the back foot and that studios should not be opening movies this year when a pandemic has ravaged most of the world. Seemingly, the reaction from the industry to Tenet's poor box office has been to delay every big theatrical release between now and November. Gerard Butler's Greenland has been pushed back into the fall, Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984 has been moved to Christmas Day and Nia DaCosta's Candyman is now a 2021 release. Add with the rumours about Disney giving Soul and Black Widow either Disney Plus debuts or moving them back to next year, we're now in a position where reopened theatres have one underperforming and poorly recieved blockbuster until No Time to Die on November 12 (UK) and November 20th (USA). Add to that the costs of keeping those theatres open and the fact that they can no longer claim "COVID insurance" because they've essentially reopened, and instead of saving cinema, Tenet may well have destroyed it.

Even if you discount the poor reviews, COVID restrictions and enormous budget, the biggest "problem" with Christopher Nolan's spy epic remains that it was unfairly positioned as the first "big" movie to greet audiences post-lockdown with. Look, Tenet is, warts and all, a puzzle box thriller, with plenty of intense action, very little characterisation and a plot that relies on multiple viewings and an intense knowledge of the science behind time to understand it. Regardless of how popular Nolan is, Tenet was far from the light, fun, character-driven, escapist entertainment audiences were craving after enduring several months in lockdown. That's why drive-in cinemas have been thriving with new releases like Bill & Ted Face The Music, which plays as an aggressively "fun", character-driven joyride for adults, and reruns of uplifting musicals like The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia and Grease. Heck, even films like Bohemian Rhapsody have proved popular choices at drive-ins as it essentially plays as a glorified two hour rock concert (which has filled a void after all the festivals and summer gigs were cancelled due to the pandemic). 

Back in March (in the early stages of the pandemic), I wrote about how audiences now only show up to theatres to see aggressively "fun" movies. Last fall proved that adult counter-programmers (the type of movies adults don't see in theatres anymore) could only stand a chance of breaking out if they were seen as "fun" character-driven movies. James Mangold's Matt Damon/Christian Bale-led racing drama Ford v Ferrari was the very definition of a fun two hours to spend in good company. It essentially played as "Mamma Mia but for Dads", which made it click with audiences to the tune of $225 million worldwide (a face saving cume on a $100 million budget). That was the difference between that and a handful of somewhat "depressing" (all due respect) dramas like The Kitchen and The Goldfinch. Well, life has become infinitely harder for most folks since March which means that now more than ever, audiences will only venture out of their homes to see a movie if it's some form of "fun". Musicals tend to be uplifting and light bits of spectacle-driven escapism whilst comedies are often star-led, hilarious observations on every day life. Those two genres give a currently depressed audience two hours of what they want. A bit of light relief away from the chaos of the outside world. Unfortunately, Tenet couldn't provide that and thus audiences have said "okay, we'll stay at home and watch more Friends episodes then".

Heck, had Universal and MGM's 25th 007 flick No Time to Die opened as the first big movie post-lockdown, we could be looking at a different situation. Bond films tend to be very escapist, comparatively light actioners, with an emphasis on comedy, patriotism and heroics over anything else. That's especially true of Daniel Craig's last two 007 outings as both Skyfall and Spectre have clicked more with mainstream audiences ($1.1 billion and $880 million) than their superior but comparatively grittier and real-world predesccors Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace ($599 million and $586 million). The marketing for No Time to Die seems to hint that this is the closest Craig has come to the "nod and a wink" movies of the Roger Moore era. 

Had Cary Fukunaga's action flick been the movie to greet audiences with instead of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, it would have likely kicked off the return of cinema, rather than killed it. Even if COVID put a dent in it's pre-pandemic box office expectations, No Time to Die would have provided audiences with the type of escapist entertainment they were craving in the middle of a pandemic. However, because Nolan wanted to do his bit to "save cinema" (which is a very commendable aim by the way), he wrongly positioned Tenet as the movie to kick back the theatrical industry. They'd be nothing wrong with that if Tenet was a live action musical, a character comedy or even a lighter, more escapist action adventure. Rather, it was a confusing, clinical, cold and overly long actioner, that did very little to either entertain or escape the very folks who were in desperate need of light relief. 

As always, we'll see.