Tenet scored big at the box office on opening weekend. Are movie theaters safe?


Christopher Nolan's Tenet brought in $20 million in domestic ticket sales over the weekend as it had the highest grossing opening weekend of any film in the U.S. since the coronavirus pandemic forced cinemas across the country to close, CNBC reports. The spy thriller has made nearly $150 million worldwide following up on last week's surprisingly strong foreign debut, adding $78.3 million in foreign markets over the weekend, including $30 million in China.
Tenet would have been expected to make $35 million to $55 million in its domestic debut pre-COVID, which would have put it in the neighborhood of other Nolan films such as Interstellar and Inception. The weekend's take was limited by a cap on attendance at 50 percent capacity. Also, only about 65 percent of U.S. theaters have reopened.
Back in June, Natascha Tuznik, an infectious disease expert from UC Davis, declared movie theaters "less risky" than gyms and bars when it comes to places you could potentially contract COVID-19. But her prediction hinges on everyone in the theater wearing a mask, refraining from talking, facing the same direction, and remaining socially distant. "Remember, 'less risk' doesn't mean 'no risk,'" Tuznik said. Read all her tips for staying safe at the movies here.
Subscribe to 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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores