The ‘Tenet’ Test: Theater Owners Bank on Film to Boost the Box Office

After a summer of closures, COVID-19 infection surges, and frequent release date changes, movie theater companies are hoping that “Tenet” can alleviate the financial struggle the pandemic threw them into. Warner Bros. is sending “Tenet” to more than 2,800 theaters in the U.S. and Canada this weekend, but for the gamble to work, the public needs to be certain that they are safe. Joseph Masher, COO of Bow Tie Cinemas, has been preparing five months to do just that. “We’ve been working on reopening since shortly after we closed,” Masher told TheWrap. “We spent the summer gathering cleaning materials and PPE equipment, developing signage and adapting our theaters to make them a COVID-safe environment.” Like the rest of the global cinema industry, Bow Tie Cinemas has suffered a rough summer, furloughing 900 employees that work in its 38 locations. Most of those theaters will be reopening for “Tenet” this weekend, including one in Hoboken, New Jersey, where Gov. Phil Murphy has given theaters clearance to reopen with a capacity limit of 25%. Also Read: 'Mulan' Ushers In New Phase in Hollywood's Premium On-Demand Experiment “Last weekend, we reopened our locations in Connecticut for ‘The New Mutants’ and found that we got...

Read original story The ‘Tenet’ Test: Theater Owners Bank on Film to Boost the Box Office At TheWrap