Christopher Nolan’s Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Epic Lands On Netflix Soon
Christopher Nolan’s time-warping spectacle Tenet is finally heading to Netflix, bringing its brain-twisting plot and jaw-dropping set pieces to the streamer. The 2020 thriller starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, a cult favorite since release, lands soon.
If you skipped the theatrical brain scramble or have been waiting for an easy rewatch, good news: Christopher Nolan's time-twisting blockbuster Tenet is finally landing on Netflix. It took a minute, but there is now an actual date.
When and where to watch
Tenet starts streaming on Netflix on November 1, 2025, according to What's on Netflix. Yes, that is very soon.
Quick refresher on what this thing is
Nolan's 2020 sci-fi action epic follows an undercover CIA operative known only as the Protagonist (John David Washington), who gets pulled into a secret organization called Tenet. The mission: stop a looming global catastrophe tied to tech that can mess with time. He teams up with Neil (Robert Pattinson) and goes up against Andrei Sator, a ruthless Russian oligarch and arms dealer with a doomsday plan that could kick off World War III. It is as visually striking and densely plotted as you remember, and it has built a sizable fanbase in the years since.
The bumpy rollout and the numbers
Like almost every big movie in 2020, Tenet was delayed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It finally hit U.S. theaters on September 3, 2020, at a time when lots of theaters were still operating with limits. Even so, Box Office Mojo puts its worldwide total at over $360 million on a production budget around $200 million. That breaks down to about $58 million from the U.S. and Canada, and more than $306 million from international markets.
How critics took it
Tenet currently sits at 70% on Rotten Tomatoes from 380 reviews, which tracks with the movie's vibe: some people were all-in, others bounced off the noise and the knots. One critic put it like this:
Nick Schager, The Daily Beast: 'the epitome of his temporally twisty canon. In other words, it's best to tune in, drop out, and give yourself over to Tenet's blaring rhythms, silky suspense and bracing thrills, perhaps none more memorable than a scene in which Washington takes down an adversary by smashing his face in with a cheese grater - a stunning sight that, at home, might just compel you to hit rewind.'
That last part is fair warning: this is one of those movies where the action hits hard and the plot expects you to keep up. If you missed it in theaters or want a cleaner look than your 2020 experience, Netflix on November 1 is your chance to dive back in, subtitles at the ready and the pause button within reach.