WB won't share Tenet box office data

Since 'Tenet' premiered, 'Warner Bros.', the studio behind the film parceled out carefully selected breadcrumbs of data to reporters and rival studios. Traditionally, studios share box office information on a daily basis. However, that is not the case with 'Tenet'.

Though the film had started playing in US theaters on September 3, 'Warner Bros.' waited until September 6 to officially announce its opening weekend grosses.

Industry observers presumed that 'Warner Bros.' wanted initial box office receipts for 'Tenet' to look as robust as possible and waiting until September 20 for the full weekend figure would make earnings sound stronger.

The studio, however, was concerned that reporters and rivals would misinterpret or unfairly analyse the results, leading to headlines that may incorrectly label the movie's debut as a flop.

Rival studios are closely watching Christopher Nolan's directed film as a test to see if people would go to the movies during the pandemic. The results, in effect, would help Hollywood decide whether or not to continue releasing big-budgeted tent-poles in the middle of a global health crisis.

Numerous insiders at rival studios emphasised that they want 'Warner Bros.' and 'Tenet' to succeed, citing the aphorism that rising tides lift all boats. But given the importance of the movie theater business, Hollywood executives at other studios have privately complained about the lack of transparency.

'Warner Bros.' and 'Comscore' declined to comment on this report. However, studio sources argue they are not obligated to share numbers with anyone else and stress that there is no precedent for releasing a movie in a pandemic.AGENCIES