Danielle Solzman
It is not worth the cost of more lives by releasing Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Tenet in theaters during the rest of the year.
We all want to save the art of going to the cinemas for a movie but it isn’t going to be like this. Listen, I miss going to movie theaters but I’m not about to walk into a theater anytime soon. Even if we have a universal policy of face masks at every theater, what’s going to stop one from taking theirs off during a film? Will there be security walking around the theater? I know it’s supposed to make us safe in theory but not all of us our comfortable. Sure, I’m getting better at not having my glasses fog up but part of me wonders if I’m wearing my face covering too low. But that’s beside the point.
The point is that Tenet doesn’t need to be the first film back in theaters. We should focus on getting cases down to a comfortable number (0 is preferred) especially with no vaccine available. Will there be a vaccine soon? I don’t know. What I do know is that I still am not at that point in which I’m comfortable. It’ll certainly take a vaccine to be available.
People do want to see Tenet but this is not the problem. Nobody should have to die because of seeing the film. While Warner Bros delayed the July 17 release date to July 31, it’s now on the move to August 12. Honestly, even this date is pushing it because cases are still spiking and not going down to a point in which we can be comfortable.
This is not about living in fear. This is about going to a movie theater in a way that is safe. A way that is healthy. Is it safe if a countless number of people take public transit before walking in? That’s already an infinite number of contacts right there. What if one of them had the virus but didn’t know? Is this something that you really want to happen because of you’re film? There are people dying to see Tenet but they shouldn’t have to die because of seeing Tenet or any other movie.
I’m looking forward to seeing John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh in Tenet. Just not this year.
Let’s put the whole thing on pause. If a studio really wants to release a tentpole film this year, it needs to be done in a way in which audiences are comfortable. Unfortunately for those who prefer the theatrical experience, this means the comfort of our own homes. I wish it were different. Believe me, I do. But the fact of the matter is, we’re going to be in this environment until 2021 or 2022.
Please wear a mask! If people could wear a mask, cases will go down and movies will come back better than ever. Well, there probably needs to be a vaccine first.
