"Tenet" tanking; "Wonder Woman" pushed back

After some cause for hope with "Tenet" notching a respectable $20 million opening weekend despite pandemic restrictions, it fell almost 67 percent in its second weekend, earning just $6.7 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

"The New Mutants" fell to $2 million and "Unhinged" came in at $1.5 million for the only other wide releases, unless you count "The Personal History of David Copperfield," a quite good movie that got a platry $193,000.

Worse yet, Warner Bros., the same studio behind "Tenet," pushed "Wonder Woman 1984" from its twice-delayed Oct. 2 release to Christmas Day. Clearly, they saw the numbers the lackluster Christopher Nolan action/thriller/head-scratcher received and decided to cut bait. Even odds says the gal in red-and-blue jumps to 2021, along with most other big-budget tentpoles.

It seems clear the vast majority of moviegoers aren't yet ready to test the waters of an actual theater visit. I can't say as I blame them, as everyone has to balance risks with where they go and what they do.

This leaves exhibitors in the unenviable position of having no other major releases to fall back on for the rest of September, and biguns slated for November like "Black Widow" will most likely flee the scene, too.