Filmmaker Christopher Nolan is “thrilled” with the performance of his latest blockbuster Tenet at the worldwide box office amid the pandemic.
The thriller, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, was slated as one of the biggest movies of 2020 but, amid the COVID-19 crisis, it opened with limited showings and only earned $53.8 million at the U.S. box office.
It fared better internationally, securing a worldwide tally of $347.1 million, and, speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Nolan insisted he’s satisfied with the film’s performance.
“Warner Bros. released Tenet, and I’m thrilled that it has made almost $350 million,” he shared, before admitting he’s “worried” about how studios will fare as the pandemic continues.
Stars of Tenet discuss working with Christopher Nolan
He explained: “I am worried that the studios are drawing the wrong conclusions from our release — that rather than looking at where the film has worked well and how that can provide them with much-needed revenue, they’re looking at where it hasn’t lived up to pre-Covid expectations and will start using that as an excuse to make exhibition take all the losses from the pandemic instead of getting in the game and adapting — or rebuilding our business, in other words.
“Long term, moviegoing is a part of life, like restaurants and everything else,” shared the director. “But right now, everybody has to adapt to a new reality.”
