Are you one of those crazy people who didn’t want to risk their life to see Tenet in theaters, especially as it was met with mixed reviews for a film directed by Christopher Nolan? Well, you don’t have to wait anymore. Warner Bros. has finally announced a digital / physical release date of Dec. 15 for the film, after holding off as long they could to try to squeeze every penny they could out of the film’s extended theatrical run. Preorders for the film will begin on Nov. 10.
The film will release on 4K UHD Combo Pack, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms, none of which are Nolan’s preferred way for audiences to view the film, but since most people don’t have an IMAX film projector and screen, this will be the format that most people watch the movie in. The film is actually still playing in theaters and, given the dearth of new movies coming out, could still be when the home release comes out. Warner Bros. would happily take more money from it after the film bombed domestically, though its international grosses were quite strong.
Nolan, who basically insisted the film get a theatrical release, actually spoke to this fact recently, saying, “Warner Bros. released Tenet, and I’m thrilled that it has made almost $350 million. But I am worried that the studios are drawing the wrong conclusions from our release — that… 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… Long term, moviegoing is a part of life, like restaurants and everything else. But right now, everybody has to adapt to a new reality.”
The physical release is incredibly light on features for a film of such caliber. The only listed special feature appears to be “Looking at the World in a New Way: The Making of Tenet,” an hour-long exploration of the development and production of the film as told by the cast and crew. Hopefully, more gets added to that as we get closer to release.
