As reported by Variety, the long-awaited sci-fi movie has now vanished entirely from Warner Bros' release calendar.
Tenet's original July 17 release had already been pushed back by the studio twice, with the most recent release date being August 12. The COVID-19 pandemic continuing to wreak havoc on the entertainment industry, it would seem Warner is no longer willing to attempt a summer release. Chairman Toby Emmerich hints the studio may abandon plans for a simultaneous global launch of Tenet, instead releasing the film in individual markets as the public health crisis allows. China will begin reopening cinemas in “low-risk regions” as of July 20, the China Film Administration (CFA) announced Thursday, ending nearly six months of closures that left thousands of theaters bankrupt.
“We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature,” said 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.”
Warner is hoping to release Tenet in 2020, at least in some markets. Variety writes, "Sources at Warner Bros. stress that they will have to be flexible with its plans to release Tenet, which means it will not have a traditional theatrical rollout. Movie theaters overseas have already started to reopen, so there’s a chance it could launch internationally prior to a domestic release."