7 Sep 2020

New blockbuster could be saviour of cinema in NZ

From First Up, 5:44 am on 7 September 2020

It's been a little over a week since the first big movie release since Covid-19 locked down much of the world - but has it been the saviour of cinema? Tenet, from director Christopher Nolan - which was released here on August 27th - it's made about 150 million New Zealand dollars globally, and that's without being released in the US and China. It's the first major blockbuster to be released here since lockdown, with movie theatres only showing smaller, independent films up until now. But under Alert level 2 and 2.5 there are safety restrictions in place at cinemas - with only 100 people allowed per screen, whilst physical distancing measures limit the number of seats that can be used. So has Tenet been a success for cinemas - and does it mean other delayed movies will come out this year? Matt Bell is President of the Motion Picture Exhibitors Association, and joins me now.