Tenet release date: Christopher Nolan film delayed to coincide with Inception 10 year anniversary in August

Film bosses had hoped new movie would hit screens just as cinemas reopen

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has been pushed back to August in the latest delay to the film’s release.

The highly anticipated project from Inception director Nolan was originally scheduled for release on 17 July, with film bosses hoping that its debut would coincide with the reopening of cinemas after the coronavirus pandemic.

However, with moviegoers unsure about heading to the cinemas again, the film was delayed to a 31 July release two weeks ago. Now, fans have been told they have to wait until 12 August to see the film.

This means the spy thriller, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, will be given an unusual mid-week release to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Inception’s release.

A Warner Bros spokesperson told Deadline: “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. 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.”

With the United States seeing the number of new coronavirus cases spike to a new national high on Wednesday, reports have suggested that other films, including Disney’s Mulan, will see their releases pushed back to August.