Box Office: 'Tenet' Debuts to $20M as U.S. Theaters Reopen, Nears $150M Globally

Christopher Nolan's Tenet jumped the $200 million mark at the international box office over the weekend, but continues to struggle domestically without such major cities New York and Los Angeles in play. Warner Bros.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineChristopher Nolan’s “Tenet” hit an important milestone, crossing the $250 million mark at the global box office.That benchmark is bolstered by international revenues, where the sci-fi thriller has surpassed $200 million in ticket sales. But in the U.S., “Tenet” is still struggling to attract audiences.

Christopher Nolan's Tenet is struggling in North America — where moviegoing remains off limits in Los Angeles and New York City — but continues to impress overseas for an estimated global gross of $207 million through Sunday. Over the weekend, the pic earned an estimated $6.7 million domestically from 2,901 cinemas for a cume of $29.5 million.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineChristopher Nolan’s “Tenet” crossed the $200 million mark globally, propped up by overseas grosses while U.S. cinemas struggle to draw audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.The time-bending sci-fi thriller generated $6.7 million in the U.S.

The numbers are still coming in for Tenet.

When reports came in that “Tenet” had made $20 million at the domestic box office, the conversation obviously focused on how difficult it is to analyze the performance of a $200 million-budgeted blockbuster in the middle of a pandemic. But soon it came clear that the numbers weren’t what they seem.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlinePeople who closely follow box office earnings have noticed a surprising lack of transparency surrounding ticket sales for “Tenet,” the $200 million-budgeted sci-fi epic from director Christopher Nolan that released last weekend in U.S. theaters.Since “Tenet” premiered, Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, has parceled out carefully selected breadcrumbs of data to reporters and rival studios.

Just yesterday, I wrote that it was likely that “Wonder Woman 1984” was going to be delayed yet again. No, that wasn’t a hugely shocking pronouncement, as the first weekend of “Tenet” in North America proved that theaters aren’t equipped to handle multiple blockbusters at the same time.

It’s been a while since we’ve done a serious box office report.

Tenet has taken nearly £114 million ($150 million) globally at the box office following its release in the past few weeks.The much-delayed film, which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, finally hit UK screens a few weeks ago, with the US following last week.Tenet has, however, been anticipated as an arbiter of the health of the cinema industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, as it is viewed as being the biggest release since cinemas re-opened over the summer.According to Variety,

Amongst the films that took a gamble and released amidst the COVID-19 pandemic was Christopher Nolan's Tenet. After weeks of back and forth to set a release date, Tenet finally got the theatrical release that Nolan was adamant on.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineChristopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic “Tenet” arrived in U.S. theaters with $20.2 million over Labor Day weekend.

In the face of the ongoing pandemic, Warner Bros. “Tenet” is meeting tempered expectations with an estimated $20 million 4-day opening at the U.S.

China's blockbuster war epic The Eight Hundred earned a healthy $69 million during its second weekend on Chinese screens, retaining the global box office crown over Christopher Nolan's Tenet. Tenet brought in $53 million-plus from 41 international markets, including Canada, according to Warner Bros.

In a major win for the moviegoing experience in the COVID-19 era, Christopher Nolan's Tenet grossed a better-than-expected $53 million-plus as it debuted internationally in 41 markets, including Canada. Among the grosses reported by Warner Bros., the U.K.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese war film, “The Eight Hundred” was the highest scoring film in the world over the weekend.According to data from Artisan Gateway, “The Eight Hundred” grossed $69 million between Friday and Sunday, its second weekend on release in China.

While it will never be known how much “Tenet” would have earned at the box office had it not debuted in the midst of a global pandemic, but early indications demonstrate that even COVID-19 can’t keep a blockbuster movie dowm.

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet is debuting big! The film launched internationally over the weekend and brought in USD 53 million according to reports via Variety. “The sci-fi epic, long pegged as the film that would restart moviegoing after prolonged cinema closures, had the strongest start in the United Kingdom, where it made USD 7.1 million.