“‘Tenet’ may offer a grim view of the future of movie theaters, AT&T CEO says”

Kendall Phillips, professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was quoted in the Desert News story “‘Tenet’ may offer a grim view of the future of movie theaters, AT&T CEO says.” John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T, says the “future of movie theaters remains uncertain” and many studios have had to navigate new industry changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Phillips, an expert on popular culture and the film industry, says overseas box offices are crucial right now for the industry. “At the moment, the overseas box office is really crucial, and we are seeing foreign companies — Chinese and, to some extent, Japanese — filling in where Hollywood would have been,” says Phillips.