Tenet just got a brand new trailer but there was one key piece missing from it: a release date. While Warner Bros. has shifted most of its other films, Tenet has stood firm on its July 17 release date. This new trailer however, and the omission of a release date from Trailer 3 and its accompanying marketing material sends some alarm bells ringing as to whether Tenet will release on its intended date.
As of now, the honest answer is: we just don’t know yet. While Warner Bros. hasn’t officially announced a delay, their refusal to commit to a release date in the recent trailer suggests its still a wait and see game at this point. It’s very likely the studio is delaying the decision as long as it can which, in current parlance, means probably another few weeks. Chances are high they will release a Tenet Trailer 4 which will either have a confirmed July release date or a renewed August release date (or something later).
With all films shifted from their original dates, Christopher Nolan has unwittingly become the messiah whose original event film movie theaters are looking up to in order to save their cinema chains from a potential bankruptcy. As things stand, Tenet is the last major blockbuster level film that hasn’t moved its release date and with the kind of press and support its enjoying from theaters, chances are high they don’t want it to move either. But given the current state of things and how the coronavirus just refuses to slow down, Nolan may have no choice but to relent.
At this point, predicting a new release date is futile considering how rapidly things are changing but a first guess could be a shift to August. Online speculation is rampant that the most suitable release date for Tenet is the one meant for Dune: December 17. However there’s also a sweet October spot in the middle that the studio could shift to, given how lucrative it has proven off late for Venom in 2018 and Joker in 2019. For now, let’s wait and watch.