A THR study polled a number of US moviegoers about if they’d feel comfortable going back to theaters once they reopen. As you know, AMC, Regal, and Cinemark are set to reopen on July 31, just to prep up and stretch their legs for Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” which is, supposedly, set to be released two weeks later, followed by “Mulan” the week after that.
However, if the study is anything to go by, Nolan may be disappointed by the number of people that will turn out to see his latest movie. The conclusion of the study is quite simple, actually. Most people will probably stay away from movie theaters until 2021.
Only 15% of people are “somewhat likely” to visit cinemas immediately when they reopen.
26% of people are willing to go a month after they reopen
35% are at least “somewhat likely” to return to theaters anytime in 2020.
A majority of Americans, more than 65%, will not be making a trip to the cinema until next year. Good God. Is the theatrical year over? There is absolutely no way Warner Bros. and Disney won’t reevaluate their release schedule in the coming weeks. No, I don’t expect “Tenet” to be released on August 12th. The fact that some film festivals, such as TIFF, Venice, and Telluride seem to think they can pull off theatrical premieres at their respective events is also starting to seem unlikely. My advice to movie fans is to just stop worrying and embrace digital for the rest of the year…