Warner Bros.' new HBO Max movie release plan is currently only for 2021. The film industry has taken a massive hit since March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has led many major film studios to either push their films back to 2021 or 2022 or have a limited theatrical run and head to streaming early. Warner Bros. made waves when they decided to release Wonder Woman: 1984 on HBO Max alongside its theatrical debut on Christmas Day. The move was significant, as it marks the first time a blockbuster film will release on streaming the same day as theaters.
In a surprise announcement, Warner Bros. revealed that all 17 of their upcoming 2021 movies would release on HBO Max on the same day as their theatrical releases. The studio announced their release schedule for all 17 films, which include The Suicide Squad, Dune, In the Heights, The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs. Kong, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Little Things, Judas and the Black Messiah, Tom & Jerry, Mortal Kombat, Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Reminiscence, Malignant, The Many Saints of Newark, King Richard and Cry Macho. Starting the day of their U.S. theater releases, the films will hit HBO Max for one month before continuing in U.S. and international theaters. The announcement has sent shock waves as it raises questions about how movie theaters will be affected long-term.
However, Warner Bros.' new release plan is currently only for 2021. The decision was due to uncertainty that audiences would be ready to return to theaters in the coming year, meaning, for now, the plan is only in place for the next 12 months. Warner Bros. Pictures Group chief operating officer Carolyn Blackwood stressed that the move is only in reaction to the current circumstances.
"This is a temporary 2021 plan. We have to support exhibition with the product. We don’t think we’re changing the economics of these movies any more than the pandemic has. We’re adding another interval and period for revenue with HBO Max."
Theater chains have struggled to bring customers in for the past several months. In October, AMC announced it is in danger of running out of money before the end of 2020 if it can't sell more movie tickets. Many theater chains were betrayed by the film studios earlier this year for skipping theaters and sending their movies straight to theaters. Warner Bros.' latest announcement has likely sent shockwaves to theater owners around the country.
Though Warner Bros. says that the plan is only for 2021 movies, for now, they're likely testing to see how well these high-budget movies like Wonder Woman: 1984, The Suicide Squad, and Dune will do on streaming. The films will still get a run in theaters, so theater chains can also profit from them. Despite the COVID-19 vaccines expected in 2021, there's no telling yet when audiences will be ready to flock back to theaters as experts say theaters won't be safe until a year after the vaccine. If the HBO Max release strategy proves a success, more studies could go on to adopt this streaming strategy, meaning 2021 may be the end of theater chains after an already devastating year.
Source: Deadline
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