Tenet, the Hollywood biggie, directed by Christopher Nolan, and backed by Warner Bros, released on December 4, 2020 in the cinemas in India. And today, that is, March 13, 2021, it has completed 100 days at the box office. It is in its 15th week, and believe it or not, it is still running in cinemas.
Tenet released in 750 screens and collected around Rs. 1.20 crore on day 1. It managed to gradually get audiences to cinemas. Everyone expected it to hang around in cinemas for a few weeks or till the release of Wonder Woman 1984, another Warner Bros biggie, which released on December 23. However, no one realized in their wildest dreams that it’ll have a run of 100 days. It’s lifetime collection till date is close to Rs. 15 crore.
A trade source is amazed as he says, “Look at the challenges the film faced. It came during the pandemic and was one of the first biggies to hit cinemas post lockdown in India. It was a delayed release with HD print being available on the day of release. Also, it’s a Christopher Nolan film and he makes confusing films. So his films are meant for niche audience. Yet, the fact that it ran for 100 days and would remain in theatres for a few more weeks is commendable.”
In this 15th week, Tenet is running across many cities in India. It has maximum shows in Delhi-NCR (8) followed by Jaipur (6 shows; 3 in dubbed Hindi version). In the Rajasthan city of Kota, it has 3 shows, 2 of which are in Hindi. In Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Surat, it has 2 shows. Even in Kolkata, it has managed to secure 3 shows, 1 of which is in Hindi. Chennai has 1 show while the small town of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan is also playing one show of Tenet, in the Hindi version!
Finally, in Mumbai, it sadly has just 1 show, in Inox Megaplex, Inorbit Mall, Malad. Surprisingly, till Wednesday March 10, it was running successfully in PVR Juhu. But the programming team removed the film to accommodate the new releases – Roohi and Mera Fauji Calling. When this writer enquired, the team of the film were ignorant of the fact that Tenet completes 100 days in cinemas.
Amit Dadhich, an ardent movie buff says, “So many shows of Tenet are there across the country but I don’t understand why it’s not given enough shows in Mumbai, especially in this iconic week. Sadly, cinemas are not even aware of its 100 days completion. Theatres should never forget that this was an important movie for them as it was the first major Hollywood release post lockdown. People flocked in huge numbers, as per their convenience though, and gradually. And in some properties, it did really well. To remove it from one such theatre is a disappointing move.”
Amit Dadhich is also pleasantly surprised with it’s 100 day run as he states, “In the pre-Covid times, Tenet would have never run for 100 days. Moreover, it was available on the internet soon after its release in India. Yet, it managed to run in so many theatres for such a long time and managed to get a good turnout. It speaks volumes of the charm of the big screen.”
He signs off by saying, “I hope it continues for another 10 days before the release of Godzilla vs. Kong.” The monster flick, also by Warner Bros, releases in India on March 24, 2021.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman 1984 will also cross the 100-day mark, on April 2.
The cities where Tenet is running in this week is as follows:
Delhi NCR – 8 shows
Mumbai – 1 show
Chennai – 1 show
Chandigarh – 2 shows
Ahmedabad – 2 shows (both shows 1 multiplex, in Time Cinema)
Kolkata – 3 shows (1 in Hindi)
Jaipur – 6 shows (3 in Hindi)
Kota – 3 shows (2 in Hindi)
Sri Ganganagar – 1 show (in Hindi)
Surat – 2 shows (both shows 1 multiplex, in Time Cinema)
TOTAL: 29 shows