AT&T CEO says ‘Tenet’ will not ditch theatrical release for streaming

AT&T’s CEO John Stankey promised moviegoers and movie theaters that “Tenet” will not skip out on its theatrical release.

During and earnings call Thursday, Stankey revealed that he loves the option to release movies on HBO Max, but that it won’t be an avenue for big budget flicks.

“Do I think that there could be some things that we had originally chartered and built for theatrical release that maybe migrates into an SVOD construct? Sure,” he said. “I think that could occur. Is it going to happen on a movie like ‘Tenet’ or something like ‘Wonder Woman?’ I would be very surprised if that would be the case. In fact, I can assure you on Tenet that that’s not going to be the case.”

Stankey’s commitment to release “Tenet” in theaters is not unsurprising. Director Christopher Nolan is a staunch supporter of movie theaters and has been adamant that his latest feature will debut theatrically. 

On Monday, Warner Bros.′ pushed the much anticipated spy thriller “Tenet” from its Aug. 12 debut and has yet to announce a new release date. This is the third time the film has been delayed due to spiking coronavirus cases in the U.S.

“Tenet” has long been used as an anchor for movie theaters to plan their reopenings. When the film was once again displaced, that forced AMC, the largest exhibitor in the U.S., to also alter course. AMC will now reopen in mid-August instead of late July.