'Tenet' sets China release for Sept. 4 amid staggered rollout plan

Yahoo Finance's Alexandra Canal breaks down 'Tenet's' latest theatrical release plan after Disney decides to skip the theater for its live-action 'Mulan' film.

Video Transcript

- This week's focus on fame and fortune, digging into the rollout plans for another summer blockbuster here in the wake of "Mulan" shifting straight to Disney+ streaming rollout. Instead, we're seeing a Christopher Nolan one take a different approach. And here to talk about that and much more is Yahoo Finance's Alexandra Canal. And Ally, when we look at it, I guess they want to go the theater route.

ALEXANDRA CANAL: They do. Christopher Nolan is a big theater buff. And he's always said, I want this film to premiere in theaters. So the film has officially set its China release date for September 4. Now, this follows an international rollout beginning August 26, before hitting certain US theaters on September 3.

Now, the staggered rollout plan is a bit of a risk, especially when it comes to a $200 million tentpole like "Tenet." There are some privacy concerns. Perhaps some spoilers could get out there, especially for US consumers. But I think Warner Brothers just wants to salvage some of the summer blockbuster season, because although things look pretty bleak over here in the United States, internationally, it seems like people really want to return to the theater.

For example, China saw its largest single-day gross last weekend after re-releasing Nolan's "Interstellar." It's pushing other big titles, from "Titanic" to "Little Women," to also schedule China re-release dates, as everyone is trying to help theaters get back on their feet.

And of course, as you mentioned, this follows the news we got earlier this week from Disney that they will be skipping the theater for their live action "Mulan" film. It will go directly to Disney+ as a premium VOD option for $30 a pop. We heard from ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish yesterday, who said that although the theatrical experience and Paramount are very important parts of their business, ultimately, he thinks that the theatrical window is going to shorten.

And I think that's a pretty plausible bet, especially after everything we've seen with both "Mulan" along with that historic NBC Universal and AMC theater deal, which will allow the studio's films to be available on demand after just 17 days in the theater. So I think this is something that ultimately would have happened anyway over a more prolonged period of time. But I think what's happening with the coronavirus is it's just speeding everything up.

And no matter who you are in this industry, whether you're a streamer, a theater company, or a production house, you certainly have to adapt if you want to survive.

- Yeah. Not exactly a surprising call there from Bob Bakish, when you think about the window in that deal going down from 90 days to 17 days. Pretty stark difference on that front. But when we talk about streaming becoming more important here as well, obviously, the competition in terms of content ratcheting up right now. And we look at that, Amazon teaming up with Lizzo-- superstar in Lizzo-- to get some new content out. What's going to be coming from that partnership?

ALEXANDRA CANAL: Oh yeah. So Lizzo-- she's known for her music. However, she has now signed a first look deal with Amazon studios. So she is going to help produce TV deals for Amazon Prime Video. She joins an impressive roster of other A-list celebrities, from Viola Davis to Brad Pitt to Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge. And I do think, like you said, this is a smart move for the company.

There are so many options right now when it comes to streaming services. And if you want to stand out, you have to have the talent. And you have to have the content. In fact, according to the final installment of the six-part COVID-19 survey that was conducted between Billboard and Nielsen Music, streaming across the board has just ballooned within this pandemic, both on the video side that I've talked about extensively, but also on the music side, because according to that survey, 56% of respondents said that they had purchased a streaming subscription like Spotify or Apple Music.

However, it was also interesting to note that 40% said that they have canceled a similar service within that same time period. And I think that goes back to your point of having so many options. It is very easy to subscribe to one thing, watch your show or movie, cancel it, and then just move on to the next thing. So I do understand that.

But another part of the report that I wanted to highlight was a slight uptick that we saw when it comes to the willingness for people to go out there and attend a live event. So according to this specific survey, 14% said that they have attended a live event. This is 5 percentage points higher than the previous survey. And I think it speaks to how people are becoming more and more comfortable, with the various social distancing measures in place, mask wearing, temperature checks, et cetera.

But to me, 14% is still pretty low. I still think people are nervous to go outside, especially as coronavirus cases seem to be seeing an uptick in certain US states, which is why I think the majority of respondents said that they are down for more live streams, more virtual concerts to try and feel connected to people during this time while also staying safe.

So industry-- it's all over the place right now. But there are some options for people if they want to, you know, hear some music, which I'm down for some more virtual concerts. Let's do it.

- Yeah. We've seen that push from Live Nation. I mean, we've talked about the drive-ins coming back right now. As long as people actually stay in their car, it seems to be a safe alternative. Just don't tell governor Cuomo if you get out of the car, because we saw that play out in the Hamptons. He got very mad about that-- the Chainsmokers and DJ D-Sol concert over there as well.