‘Tenet’ to screen early at theaters in some U.S. cities

Some U.S. moviegoers will be able to see Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” a few days early. Warner Bros. on Tuesday said that it would be offering early access screenings starting Aug. 31 as a gesture of support to the domestic theaters that are reopening after five months of being closed because of COVID-19.

The $200 million spy thriller starring John David Washington will open more widely in the U.S. on Sept. 3.

“Tenet” is the first major new Hollywood movie to be released in theaters since most locations shuttered in mid-March. It's arrival could not come soon enough for the ailing theaters, many of which are opening this week without any significant new movies and instead programming popular back catalog films like “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Back to the Future” to entice audiences. The nation’s largest exhibitor, AMC, will open some of its doors Thursday, with Regal following on Friday.

“Warner Bros. is proud to support our partners in exhibition as they reopen their doors,” said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution, in a written statement. “And there could be no better film to welcome audiences back to a true big-screen experience than ‘Tenet.’”

“Tenet” will open internationally first, arriving Aug 26 in more than 70 countries, including Japan, Russia, much of Europe, Australia and Canada.

The film, originally set for a July 17 release, had its premiere postponed several times because of global spikes in COVID-19.

Early domestic screenings of “Tenet” will be scheduled on the evenings of Aug. 21, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2 where theaters are open in the U.S. Tickets go on sale Friday.