So, going to the movies seems to be a thing again! After the majority of the theatres in the West shuttered back in March, as the world collectively went into lockdown, it seems we’re reaching a turning point. Films are actually being released in cinemas again, like Disney’s The New Mutants this weekend, and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet earlier in the week in Britain. And people, it seems, are happily flocking back to watch them, despite the risk or the mask rules.
American theatres are up next, and Warner Bros, who are releasing Tenet on 3 September, have an idea to help get cinemagoers back through the door. Not only do they have the lure of a new Christopher Nolan blockbuster, but if you arrive early enough, you’ll manage to catch a very special trailer too.
Yep, the first trailer for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune — famously starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya — will bow before Tenet screenings from 30 August in international markets and in front of preview screenings in the US from the 31st. The same trailer won’t hit the internet until a week or so later, on 9 September, so those who make the trip will be rewarded for their work.
That means that die-hard Timmy stans will have to head to the movie theatre to get a first look at his biggest project since, well, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar — and certainly his biggest in the central role. At a time when theatres are still not entirely safe, it’s a big lure for moviegoers who may have been on the fence about risking it for Tenet. But Warner Bros — who pulled the same trick with Tenet’s teaser last summer, placing it before the Fast and Furious film Hobbs & Shaw as a theatre exclusive — are hoping that it’ll drum up enough hype.
Dune is set to bow in the usually lucrative Christmas slot on 18 December — second wave notwithstanding. Honestly, at this point, I’m willing to go into lockdown again if it means I’m guaranteed to see Timmy in space before 2020 is over.