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. Across the continent, new cases reached a record high of 52,418 over a rolling seven-day average on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University. While the death rate average remains well below 1,000, thanks to a mix of infections being primarily among younger individuals and improved knowledge on how to treat the virus, there is still concern that the arrival of flu season could change that. If deaths do rise, governments will have to make some difficult decisions about whether to close businesses again, risking a double-dip recession. For...

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