Warner Bros delays Wonder Woman 1984, Tenet, and The Matrix 4

In a startling release shake-up, Warner Bros. moved Wonder Woman 1984 from its mid-August premiere to October 2, delayed Christopher Nolan's Tenet by two weeks, from July 17 to July 31, and pushed back The Matrix 4 by almost a year. The heavyweight showdown Godzilla vs. Kong has also been moved back.

The Wonder Woman 1984 announcement was made on twitter, with the movie's official account deciding against calling it a "delay". The other announcements first appeared in trade-press before being circulated widely by the studio.

Despite an earlier report to the contrary, Warner Bros. appears committed to a theatrical premiere for Wonder Woman 1984. In March, the movie was delayed from its original June 4 premiere to August.

Tenet was set to mark the widespread reopening of movie theaters as governments across the world loosen lockdown measures and allow business owners to open their doors. However, many box office analysts fear that the vast majority of people will not want to venture back to cinemas come mid-July, which would heavily affect Tenet – which has a budget of around $200 million. In Tenet's place, the studio is giving Nolan's Inception a 10th anniversary theatrical run on July 17. 

The Matrix 4, which paused production earlier this year but hopes to start up again later in the year, has been moved from May 21, 2021 to April 1, 2022. The significant year-long delay means the sequel to the Matrix trilogy will open a week after Marvel's Doctor Strange sequel. 

Godzilla vs. Kong was due in cinemas this November, but now takes The Matrix 4's May 21 release date. Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Witches no longer has a release date, having been due in 2021, and the Tom & Jerry movie has been delayed from this coming December until March 5, 2021.

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