Welp, Covid-19 just isn’t letting up, is it? And while it’s already affected movie theaters and their business, it’s continuing to screw up release dates as well. We’ve been talking about Christopher Nolan’s TENET was getting pushed back as he insisted it open theatrically and not on a streaming service, as some other major releases have been lately. At first the film was moved from July 17th weekend to July 31st, then it got moved to August 12. Now it’s been postponed indefinitely, as Warner Bros. has likely realized continually pushing back the release date in hopes things will get better is becoming futile at this point. Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich gave an official statement on the film’s latest delay:
“We will share a new 2020 release date imminently for Tenet, Christopher Nolan’s wholly original and mind-blowing feature. We are not treating Tenet like a traditional global day-and-date release, and our upcoming marketing and distribution plans will reflect that.”
And then Warner Bros. dropped the news on another upcoming release, THE CONJURING 3: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, which brings back played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who played real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The third entry in the franchise was supposed to be released November 9, 2020 (they have yet to release an official trailer for it), but is now slated to open June 4, 2021. Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich’s comments on these delays were smartly worded, basically stating they want to do the smartest thing for all parties involved:
“Our goals throughout this process have been to ensure the highest odds of success for our films while also being ready to support our theater partners with new content as soon as they could safely reopen. We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from exhibitors and remain steadfast in our commitment to the theatrical experience around the world. Unfortunately, the pandemic continues to proliferate, causing us to reevaluate our release dates.”
So what does this mean for other Warner Bros. films, like WONDER WOMAN 1984 and Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE? Both are still slated for a 2020 opening, but considering these latest changes, expect those to get pushed back soon unless the virus lightens up a little bit. How do you feel about the Coronavirus and the effect it’s having on Hollywood? Let us know in the comments below.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
