Christopher Nolan emphasized the worldwide success of his blockbuster "Tenet". In the US, the film had made less.
Christopher Nolan (50, "Interstellar") commented on the box office results of his blockbuster "Tenet" in an interview with the "Los Angeles Times". So far, the film has earned around 347 million US dollars (around 296 million euros) worldwide. Nolan is "thrilled" that the film grossed nearly $ 350 million. "But I'm concerned that the studios are getting the wrong shots from our theatrical release," he said. In the USA, "Tenet" is said to have only grossed around 54 million dollars (45 million euros) – also because many cinemas there had to close due to the corona pandemic.
"Instead of looking at where the film worked well and how it was able to generate urgently needed income, pay attention to where it did not meet the pre-Covid expectations," explained the director. "They prefer to use it as an excuse for all their losses instead of taking action and adapting – or, to put it another way, repositioning our industry." In the long term, going to the cinema is still a part of life. But currently "everyone has to adapt to a new reality," emphasized Nolan, who is considered an advocate of the cinema.
How much will the loss be?
"Tenet" was considered the first blockbuster to be seen on the big screen since the outbreak of the pandemic. The production costs of the strip should amount to 200 million US dollars (about 168 million euros). Competitors from Warner Bros. speculate that "Tenet" could make up to 100 million US dollars (around 85 million euros) in losses. Warner Bros. insiders deny this number and assume losses of around 50 million US dollars (around 43 million euros).
The studio expected the meager box-office results, it said in a statement from the company in September. "We are in uncharted territory, so any comparison with the world before Covid-19 would be unfair and without a basis."