Can ‘Tenet’ Save Christopher Nolan’s Hollywood?
Early ticket sales are providing hope for movie theaters. But the hegemony of the weekend box office is decidedly over — and the post-COVID-19 world may never be the same.
By Nicole LaPorte
The opening of a big summer movie is, in normal times, a Super Bowl-level event. Around the world, splashy premieres fuel media hype and, hopefully, ticket sales. Box office analysts begin crunching the numbers right away, culminating in Sunday morning headlines and bragging rights. Did the film cross the $100 million mark? Is it on track to make a billion? Come Monday, studio executives are either popping champagne corks or packing up their office belongings as everyone collapses in exhaustion.
Of course, the playbook is being rewritten in the age of coronavirus, as studios experiment with new approaches to profitability. With many of the world’s movie theaters still shuttered and audiences understandably cautious about entering those that are open, studios have had to rethink distribution in a major way. Some, like Universal and Disney, have shifted movies over to SVOD services. In the case of Hamilton, Disney traded a theatrical release for a subscription drive via its streaming service, Disney Plus in early…
