European Cinemas Boosted ‘Tenet,’ But Will a Second COVID Wave Close Them Again?

Though the U.S. box office for Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” has caused alarm about the state of American theaters six months into the pandemic, the Warner Bros. film has earned solid numbers overseas thanks in part to European theaters. But with COVID-19 infection rates rising again throughout Europe (and many parts of the U.S.), there’s no guarantee that those countries will still be open for any big Hollywood films to be released this fall. In the U.K., daily new cases of the virus have risen from around 1,300 at the start of September to over 5,000 on Wednesday, edging closer to the peak of 6,000 daily new cases from back in early May.