Tenet receives 12A rating after one crucial change – plus official runtime conformed

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Christopher Nolan's Tenet promises to be the first major blockbuster since the coronavirus pandemic led to nations across the globe going into lockdown. With the release only days away – Tenet comes to UK cinemas on August 26 and US theatres on September 4 – we have confirmation of the movie's runtime and age rating.

The BBFC (that's the British Board of Film Classification) has announced that Tenet has been rated 12A due to "moderate violence, threat, domestic abuse, infrequent strong language". They also revealed that the movie is 149m 50s. 

That runtime's a little different to what was earlier reported – we previously heard Tenet was 149m 59s long. The shortened runtime, though only nine seconds, is due to a scene featuring a "man kicking a woman" being cut from the movie. The scene in question would have allegedly pushed the movie into being a 15 rating.

Now, the BBFC also states that "All known versions of this work passed uncut." That's because Warner Bros. worked with the BBFC to make sure the movie would reach a 12A rating before they officially submitted Nolan's movie.

Recent reports have indicated the movie will need to gross upwards of $800 million to make a profit for the studio – which should come as no surprise to anyone following Tenet news. We recently spoke to Nolan as part of Total Film's cover feature form earlier this year and the director revealed they crashed a real 747 for a setpiece. Hopefully, money well spent. 

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.

Latest in Movies
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog
Drop
New horror movie starring White Lotus and Yellowstone actors gets a great Rotten Tomatoes score as early reactions call it the "perfect date night movie"
The cast of Thunderbolts
Marvel fans are revealing who they'd like to see added to the Thunderbolts lineup, from Moon Knight to a major Hulk villain
The Rise of Skywalker
Despite those retirement reports, Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy is "very involved" in the Rey Star Wars movie, according to Daisy Ridley
Black Widow
Scarlett Johansson doubles down on never coming back as Black Widow: “Natasha is dead. She is dead. She’s dead. Okay?"
Clown in a Cornfield
First reactions to new clown horror movie say the slasher is giving Terrifier a run for its money
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog