This is very much an interesting time with many industries having to find clever ways to stay relevant, one of these is firmly the movie industry. Cinemas are currently shutdown with no specific idea of when they’re going to reopen and most titles now moved to 2021.
Despite how things are at the moment, I have no doubt all be well again and we’ll all be able to go out to enjoy our favourite movies and blockbuster titles on the big screen. With 2021 set to be the year we get to do that (at least it seems for now), it’s interesting to see how some titles aren’t sitting back and waiting till then.
Stubbornly pushing back and being defiant are two titles I was mostly looking forward to this year, namely Disney’s Mulan and Warner Bros.’ Tenet. Mulan is Disney’s next big budget real-life remake of the 1998 anime movie and what is interestingly the first movie I ever watched in a cinema. Tenet on the other hand is one I earmarked to be the best movie this year and is a new masterpiece and mind-bending thriller from my all time favourite director, Christopher Nolan responsible for the likes of Inception, The Dark Knight, Interstellar...among others.
Hit with various uncertainties, both movies have been moved a couple of times this year already but now a definitive decision has been made and the great news is they’re all set to go head-to-head in a unique manner. Newatlas.com describe the situation perfectly:
“Much remains unclear about how this unusual staggered international release will play out, but the line in the sand has been drawn. Warner Bros. will not delay Tenet’s release until next year, and it will certainly not debut it on a streaming service. The film’s director Christopher Nolan has long been a vocal advocate of theatrical exhibition, and some reports have suggested Nolan himself is responsible for the vociferous push to release this film sooner rather than later. The director reportedly sees the film as a lifeline for theaters struggling with indefinite closure.”
“Disney, on the other hand, seems done with attempts to get its big blockbuster into cinemas. Now, Mulan is set to get a worldwide streaming release on Disney Plus. From September 4 (coincidentally the same weekend as Tenet’s current US theatrical release) the film will be available for a US$30 fee in territories around the world with access to Disney Plus.”
Two unique approaches and no doubt a compelling case study involving two films that have cost well over $200 million to produce. An expensive experiment that will have many watching with interest, movie critics such as myself included. How it all plays out we’ll have to see but it’s without a doubt another fantastic example of finding unique ways to function in this strange time. Furthermore and perhaps more importantly, it’s a showcase of how to be defiant in the face of change.
How do you think this will play out? Are you as excited as I am? Let me know in our comments section below.
