Christopher Nolan fans plan to fly across the country to see Tenet
Have you ever been so excited to watch a movie you feel like you'd do just about anything to see it as soon as possible? Well, some Christopher Nolan fans are taking that to the extreme.
Nolan's new film Tenet is set to be the first major blockbuster film to be released in the United States since movie theaters closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's scheduled to make its debut without playing in states like New York and California, where theaters have not yet been permitted to reopen. For some Nolan fans interviewed by Variety this week, missing the film's opening was evidently just not acceptable, so they're dropping hundreds of dollars flying out of state to see it, pandemic be damned.
Tyler Tompkins of California explained to Variety he's traveling from Los Angeles to Austin with three others on a $220 flight to watch the film not once but twice, saying, "That's the whole purpose of this trip. My friends think I'm crazy, going all the way across the country to watch it, but we want to show support for this film and we'll do anything to see it." You can say that again.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Another Nolan fan said they're flying from Los Angeles to Utah for a Tenet screening, while acknowledging to Variety that traveling during the pandemic "does give me pause." Overseas, moviegoers are evidently going to similar extremes for 70MM IMAX screenings, with the article quoting one person who hopes to travel from Paris to London to see the movie, though this may require quarantining for two weeks.
Given that some early reviews for Tenet have described it as a "disappointment," it remains to be seen whether these Nolan fans will feel the risk during the pandemic, not to mention the financial investment, was worth it. If not, hey, at least there's always the chance they'll run into Tom Cruise.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Should parents stop tracking their kids?Talking Point Experts warn the line between care and control is getting murkier – and could have consequences
-
How drones have detected a deadly threat to Arctic whalesUnder the radar Monitoring the sea in the air
-
A running list of the US government figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth Clearing the slate for his favorite elected officials
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
