With talk of cinemas reopening soon, the industry debates if Christopher Nolan’s newest thriller will make it to the country
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 30, 2020)

In the midst of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s espionage thriller, Tenet, will release in 70 countries in a phased-out manner, between August 26 and September 18. These include UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain among others. India is missing from the list as theatres are yet to open here. But Mohan Umrotkar, CEO, Carnival Cinemas, is confident that Tenet will be the first film to open in India and give a sense of confidence to other filmmakers to follow suit.

“We are awaiting government approval. We don’t have a date yet, but hopefully, cinema halls will open within the next 12-15 days,” Umrotkar informs.

Trade analyst Komal Nahta endorses this, saying theatres are looking to reopen in August with limited seating. “The government has suggested 25 per cent occupancy, the film industry wants 50 per cent. It’s all ifs and buts for now, but Tenet should be the first major release,” he asserts. Manoj Desai, Executive Director, G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir, however, is not too optimistic. “I have not received any notification yet and with Coronavirus at its peak, I don’t think theatres will open in August,” he says.

Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment, who has two big films— Sooryavanshi and ’83—which have been announced for release on Diwali and Christmas respectively, is equally wary. “There have been talks of opening cinemas in India in August, but with 50,000 cases every day, I think it will eventually happen in a phased-out manner, state by state. Meanwhile, we’ll be keenly observing the box-office trend of Tenet across the globe. It will be a case study for us as a Christopher Nolan film is much sought after by the audiences,” he reasons, adding that their tent-pole films will be targeting a release in 80 to 100 countries.