With anywhere between 65% and 70% of movie theaters now open in North America, Warner Bros. debuted the highly-anticipated Tenet to rather underwhelming results.
Tenet, the latest from writer-director Christopher Nolan, debuted with $20.2 million at the domestic box office, according to Variety.
The thriller opened in several international markets before its domestic debut, as it nears $150 million worldwide.
Tenet was initially slated to open in theaters back in July, but it was pushed into August and then this weekend over the Labor Day holiday.
The film, which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, earned $20.2 million from 2,810 theaters, earning a solid $7,188 per-screen average.
However, since several major theatrical markets are still closed, such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, that likely cost the film untold millions from its opening weekend gross.
Tenet added an additional $78.3 million from foreign markets this weekend, bringing its global box office tally to $146.2 million.
Tenet was the first major studio blockbuster to open nationwide, after theaters across the country were shuttered in mid-March due to COVID-19.
While on the surface the debut seems like a solid one for Warner Bros., those numbers also include an entire week of sneak peek screenings in several theaters across the country.
Warner Bros. revealed in a note to press members that the studio was, ‘very pleased’ with the opening weekend, indicating that Tenet’s roll-out will be more of a ‘marathon,’ as opposed to a typical release that is heavily front-loaded with emphasis on the film’s opening weekend.
‘There is literally no context in which to compare the results of a film opening during a pandemic with any other circumstance,’ the studio said in their note.
