The movie is the only summer blockbuster of 2020 to keep to its original release date.

Considering we're now six months into 2020, there really is no way of trying to divine or guess how the remaining six months are going to go for movie releases, never mind Western civilisation in general.

All major releases have been kicked into 2021, with some even just leaving a release date open-ended, and on top of that, cinema chains in the US and across the globe are struggling with the reality that even if they opened tomorrow, nobody's really sure what happens next.

Here in Ireland, cinemas won't open (in the current guidelines, anyway) until August 10th - and even then, they'll have to enforce strict social distancing guidelines when that happens. That means potential cinema screens will have to limit the number of seats in order to maintain the two-metre rule. On top of that, as we covered in a recent longform piece, cinemas don't even know what they're going to show when they do reopen.

Only movie - Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet' - has stuck fast to its release date and as of this morning, that's still the case. In response to a question from trade bible Deadline, Cinemark theater chain CEO Mark Zoradi told them that they've been in close contact with Warner Bros. "and they remain optimistic and positive as well as Christopher Nolan about the July 17 opening."

As mentioned, cinemas here in Ireland are shut until August 10th and cinema owners we've spoken to say that they intend to show any and all movies that missed their release date on the day they reopen. In the US, cinemas in New York and Los Angeles - two of the biggest population centres and cinema markets and cinema markets in the US - have been ordered to close indefinitely, with no clear roadmap as to when they'll reopen.

Globally, of course, it's a different story.

Cinemas in Norway have already begun to reopen, and the UK is planning to reopen no earlier than July 4th, which would be just in time for 'Tenet'. Currently, Warner Bros. has given no indication that the release date will change, but a decision will likely be made in the next week or two if that's to happen, as promotional spend and marketing will have to kick by then if it's to go ahead.