Christopher Nolan's Tenet has officially arrived in select international markets, and its first grosses have jumped ahead of expectations. Box office news has been rather dire this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down movie theaters earlier this year and delayed countless films. The past few weeks have seen theaters gradually opening back up both in the United States and internationally, though the largest markets in the former remain shut down. Nevertheless, as coronavirus remains a concern, some have been curious to see how films will perform once they finally debut.

Tenet has been viewed by many as the possible savior of the yearly box office. Even before the pandemic hit, Nolan's time-bending spy thriller was one of the most anticipated films of the year. It was initially scheduled for release in July, but Warner Bros. ended up delaying it multiple times. Instead of pushing Tenet until all movie theaters have reopened, the studio opted to proceed with an unconventional release plan. Tenet rolled out in several international markets this weekend before it debuts in certain US locations and China later this week.

Per THR, Tenet gave the international box office some much-needed life and came in well ahead of expectations by grossing over $53 million. This came from 40 markets in addition to Canada, with $37 million of that larger number coming from areas in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich said in a statement, "We are off to a fantastic start internationally and couldn’t be more pleased. Christopher Nolan has once again delivered an event worthy motion picture that demands to be seen on the big screen, and we are thrilled that audiences across the globe are getting the opportunity to see Tenet."


After months of virtually no revenue for the international box office, this comes as some very welcome news. Tenet was already showing signs of performing well financially when it came to pre-sales, but many remained cautious about how it would do once it actually opened. Doctors still advise against going to movie theaters, and many are operating at a lowered capacity. Nevertheless, the excitement of a new Nolan film was clearly enough to draw in audiences overseas, and Tenet is off to a good start. Of course, with a budget as high as $200 million, it still has a long way to go before it can be considered a true financial success.

The next big tests for Tenet will arrive this week when it opens in the US and China. The latter has seen its box office numbers gradually increase over the past few weeks, and some of Nolan's previous films have been shown there recently. Tenet's overall success might hinge on how it does in China, so all eyes will be on its box office returns next weekend. When it comes to the US, the domestic box office is off to a slow start so far, but a major, highly-anticipated blockbuster like Tenet might change things. So far, it's done well overseas, but only time will tell how Tenet continues to perform.

Tenet (2020)
Release Date: Sep 03, 2020