New images show filmmaker Christopher Nolan among the first moviegoers to visit reopened AMC Theaters in LA. From the start of the pandemic, Nolan has been a staunch supporter of films continuing with theatrical releases. He fought for Warner Bros. to keep his latest film Tenet‘s theatrical release in September, which the studio hoped would bring audiences back to theaters. However, Warner Bros. consequently took a hit as the movie did not do nearly as well as desired. Studios took the hint from Tenet‘s underperformance and delayed their films for another year or sent them straight to streaming.

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Movie theaters have taken a massive hit since closing a year ago at the start of the pandemic. While many theaters were given the green light to reopen over the summer in time for Tenet’s arrival, theaters in major cities like New York City and Los Angeles remained closed. AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain, lost $4.6 billion in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Last week, Los Angeles theaters were finally permitted to reopen at 25% capacity. This week, AMC reopened its largest LA theaters, the Burbank 16 and Century City 15.

Nolan was one of the first moviegoers to return to the AMC Theater in Burbank, California, after COVID-19 theater restrictions were lifted this week. New images shared on Twitter show Nolan attending the first screening on reopening day at the AMC theater. Twitter user @BrettRedacted captured Nolan waiting for food at the theater along with the caption, “when you’re patiently waiting for your AMC chicken fingers.” According to Twitter user @corinne_perkins, Nolan saw a screening of Judas and the Black Messiah. See the tweets below:

Nolan, who has had a nearly two-decade-long relationship with Warner Bros., has been quite vocal about his opposition to the studio’s decision to give all of their 2021 movies a simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO Max. Many believe Warner Bros’ release plan was due to anticipation of an unsuccessful performance for 2021 films, so to have a simultaneous digital release would allow them to avoid a similar experience as Tenet.

Warner Bros., who backed the director’s major blockbusters, like The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar, was bashed by Nolan for “dismantling” the industry and not making wise economic choices. He also went on to call HBO Max “the worst streaming service.” Nolan received backlash for his remarks, with moviegoers criticizing the director for seemingly ignoring the ongoing pandemic and only concerned with the lack of a theatrical experience. Nolan defended his criticisms against the studio, saying he doesn’t believe any studio should be making predictions through December 2021.

It’s not much of a surprise that Nolan was one of the first in line to return to theaters on re-opening day, considering how strongly he’s advocated for the future of movie theaters. While some criticized Nolan for prioritizing theaters’ survival over the pandemic dangers, the director appears to be taking safety precautions at the theater. Christopher Nolan‘s attendance is undoubtedly good for the theater chain, and moviegoers are likely ready to return to theaters too.

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   Source: BrettRedacted/Twitter, corinne_perkins/Twitter

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Molly Feser
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Molly is a movie/TV news writer for Screen Rant with a love for all things pop culture. She received her bachelor’s in Journalism from George Mason University and her master’s in Journalism & Public Affairs from American University. She’s written for a variety of online publications, including her online graduate publication The Wash, Her Campus and Arlington Magazine. She especially loves writing about movies, TV and musical theatre.

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