26 Jun – It was just earlier this month that "Tenet" had to be pushed to a later release date due to the pandemic. Now before the month's even out, the new offering from Christopher Nolan has to delay its release once again. A surge in COVID-19 cases has forced "Tenet" to move to next month, specifically on 12 August 2020 in North America, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Warner Bros. is committed to bringing Tenet to audiences in theaters, on the big screen, when exhibitors are ready and public health officials say it's time. In this moment what we need to be is flexible, and we are not treating this as a traditional movie release," a studios spokesperson stated. "We are choosing to open the movie mid-week to allow audiences to discover the film in their own time, and we plan to play longer, over an extended play period far beyond the norm, to develop a very different yet successful release strategy." Variety also reported that the movie's second delay comes after it was announced by New York Governer Andrew Cuomo that cinemas would not be in Phase 4 of his state's reopening. Furthermore, even though Los Angeles cinemas had hope to open by mid-July, the surge of cases in the county might delay the reopening. Without New York City and Los Angeles cinemas, "Tenet" will be losing a big number of audiences from the country's two largest moviegoing markets.
The postponement of "Tenet" also derails the plan of -re-releasing "Inception" ahead of it next month. The 2010 hit from Nolan will still open in July, however, taking over the 31 July date vacated by "Tenet". Reportedly, the re-release of "Inception" was not just in celebration of its 10th anniversary, but also because the movie is linked to "Tenet". In what way exactly remains a mystery since there's still not much known about the upcoming John David Washington-starring movie, except that it also stars Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh, and it is set in the world of international espionage. "Tenet" was originally scheduled to open in North American cinemas on 17 July 2020, before it was pushed to 31 July. Hopefully, it will not be forced to move from its current 12 August date.