After finally confirming a release date in over 70 countries earlier this week, it seems “Tenet” finally passed government approval and can get a theatrical release in China.
READ MORE: ‘Tenet’ To Receive International Release First, Limited US Rollout From Labor Day
The news comes from Variety, with a report that Warner Bros. is getting close to securing a Chinese release for the Christopher Nolan sci-fi thriller. In addition to the approval news, the film released a new Chinese poster that swaps out the “time runs out” tagline with a call to arms that roughly translates to “make every second count; invade the theaters.”
Last we heard, “Tenet” was having issues securing a release date in China due to the country’s new guidelines to reopening theaters. Among the regulations is a new rule that prevents movies over two hours long from playing in cinemas. “Tenet” reportedly runs at two hours and 31 minutes. Though, as Variety adds, Chinese authorities soon contradicted this rule by approving a number of films for theatrical release with long runtimes, including Nolan’s own “Interstellar” and “Avatar.”
According to Variety, the reopening of Chinese theaters may be nearly as difficult to predict as American theaters. Regulations by the Chinese government dictate the circumstances for reopening, and they have a list of films approved for theatrical release. It seems, however, that cinemas in different regions with varied levels of COVID-19 containment were given some leeway with the rules.
Per the report, “at least two cinemas in Beijing said Wednesday in private chats posted to social media that due to the confusion, they currently didn’t dare program approved, available titles over 120 minutes long — even the patriotic blockbuster “Wolf Warrior 2,” which runs 123 minutes.” So it remains to be seen whether “Tenet” gets a unified release expansion, or if it will be up to individual cinemas to decide.
China has quickly become a crucial territory for Hollywood blockbusters the past few years. With U.S. theaters still mostly closed, and a release plan that seems to be based on opening wherever possible without a real plan, the Middle Kingdom release is by far the most important market for “Tenet.”
This is the new poster for “Tenet.”
