Warner Brothers has decided to debut all their 2021 films simultaneously on HBO Max the same day they open in theaters

[Jay 37,323]

Warner Brothers has decided to debut all their 2021 films simultaneously on HBO Max the same day they open in theaters.

 

 

 

The Little Things (January 29, 2021)
Tom & Jerry (March 5, 2021)
The Many Saints of Newark (March 12, 2021)
Reminiscence (April 16, 2021)
Godzilla vs. Kong (May 21, 2021)
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4, 2021)
In the Heights (June 18, 2021)
Space Jam: A New Legacy (July 16, 2021)
The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021)
Dune (October 1, 2021)
Elvis (November 5, 2021)
King Richard (November 19, 2021)
The Matrix 4 (December 22, 2021)
Judas and the Black Messiah (TBA 2021)
Malignant (TBA 2021)
Mortal Kombat (TBA 2021)

Those Who Wish Me Dead (TBA 2021)
 

 

 

Should we expect Universal, Sony, Paramount, and Disney to follow suit?

[gkgyver 1,645]

People should get used to theaters going away. It won't go back. 

[Jurassic Shark 12,033]

Of course it will. After The Great Vaccination, things will return to normal and everybody will have forgotten everything they should have learned from this.

[Edmilson 7,398]

I'll make sure to watch everything on my cellphone. 

[Edmilson 7,398]

WB is the most incompentently administrated studio in Hollywood. The idiots don't seem to realize that this move will benefit piracy. Many people won't pay to watch it in theaters and neither on HBO Max, they'll just pirate everything.

 

The golden age of torrent is coming back!

[blondheim 1,157]

It's never left really

[Thor 7,478]

Good for those who have HBO Max, I suppose. I don't. But then, I intend to see at least the visually driven films in the theatre.

[bruce marshall 1,315]

Whose playing ELVIS?

Not Kurt Russell one presumes.

[Jay 37,323]

Here you go

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(2021_film)

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 hour ago, Edmilson said:

WB is the most incompentently administrated studio in Hollywood. The idiots don't seem to realize that this move will benefit piracy. Many people won't pay to watch it in theaters and neither on HBO Max, they'll just pirate everything.

 

The golden age of torrent is coming back!

 

Jack Warner does whatever he pleases!

[Koray Savas 2,251]

7 hours ago, blondheim said:

It's never left really

This. Piracy has and will always exist. This is a good and smart move. I’m excited. 

[Lord Zimmer 211]

10 hours ago, Edmilson said:

WB is the most incompentently administrated studio in Hollywood. The idiots don't seem to realize that this move will benefit piracy. Many people won't pay to watch it in theaters and neither on HBO Max, they'll just pirate everything.

 

The golden age of torrent is coming back!

 

Netflix and such have shown that people are willing to pay for content, as long as it is cheap (relatively speaking) and easy. Piracy still exists and will continue to do so. So on what do you base this claim that this move will somehow benefit piracy? The ‘Golden Age of torrenting’ was mainly stopped by...streaming services. 

[rough cut 1,714]

So how does HBO Max work, do you have to pay a premium to stream the movie (á la Mulan) or is it enough to have the subscription?

[TSMefford 1,509]

45 minutes ago, rough cut said:

So how does HBO Max work, do you have to pay a premium to stream the movie (á la Mulan) or is it enough to have the subscription?

 

Subscription only. The trailer says "No Extra Cost for Subscribers". That's how it should be done.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

1 hour ago, Lord Zimmer said:

 

Netflix and such have shown that people are willing to pay for content, as long as it is cheap (relatively speaking) and easy. Piracy still exists and will continue to do so. So on what do you base this claim that this move will somehow benefit piracy? The ‘Golden Age of torrenting’ was mainly stopped by...streaming services. 

 

Piracy still exists in Australia because so many streaming programs are geolocked, so we can't watch them any other way.

[Jay 37,323]

This move by WB only lets people in the US stream them day and date with theatrical, and only for a month. After that the normal process resumes of theaters only, eventually blu ray and VOD, eventually HBO or Showtime or whatever other services/channels might get them from country to country, before eventually ending back up on HBO Max in the US again eventually. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Well lucky USA then.

[Jay 37,323]

So do people think Universal, Sony, Paramount, and/or Disney will follow suit, or nah?

 

Of course, Sony doesn't have their own streaming service.  Universal has Peacock, Paramount has CBS All Access (soon rebranding as Paramount+), and Disney has Disney+

[Edmilson 7,398]

8 hours ago, Lord Zimmer said:

 

Netflix and such have shown that people are willing to pay for content, as long as it is cheap (relatively speaking) and easy. Piracy still exists and will continue to do so. So on what do you base this claim that this move will somehow benefit piracy? The ‘Golden Age of torrenting’ was mainly stopped by...streaming services. 

 

Most people have money to pay for Netflix and maybe some other streaming service, like Prime or Disney+. But what happens when there's countless options of streaming out there? No one has money to invest in lots of streamers, neither time to watch everything.

 

Some streamers will survive this bloody battle for subscribes, but many will not. 

[Jay 37,323]

AMC Speaks Out Against Warner Bros.’ HBO Max 2021 Announcement

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Posting the statement so people don't have to click the link

 

Quote

“These coronavirus-impacted times are uncharted waters for all of us, which is why AMC signed on to an HBO Max exception to customary practices for one film only, Wonder Woman 1984, being released by Warner Brothers at Christmas when the pandemic appears that it will be at its height. However, Warner now hopes to do this for all their 2021 theatrical movies, despite the likelihood that with vaccines right around the corner the theatre business is expected to recover. Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max start up. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.

 

We have already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject. As this issue gets sorted out, we are nonetheless encouraged that vaccines protecting society at large against the coronavirus are very much at hand. So, it is our expectation that moviegoers soon will be able once again to delight in coming to our theatres without any worry — viewing the world’s best movies safely in our big seats, with our big sound and on our big screens.”

 

[TSMefford 1,509]

9 hours ago, Jay said:

So do people think Universal, Sony, Paramount, and/or Disney will follow suit, or nah?

 

My two cents, which turned into something more like $2,000 as I kept typing. Whoops.

 

I think Universal might. They seemed to be the ones who dove right in near the beginning by releasing films like Trolls: World Tour, Emma, The Hunt, etc. Plus they have a service that definitely could use some better content last I checked.

 

Disney will I'd imagine as they probably want to add to their streaming service content as well with big titles people want to see.

 

No idea on the others, but I don't think anyone else will do it at "no extra cost for the subscriber". 

 

_______________________________

 

As far as AMC's response. It's tough. I don't think there's a clear right and wrong here. It's not black and white. The streaming idea makes perfect sense for the studios and this backlash makes perfect sense for the movie theaters. 

 

I have tended to understand the studio perspective on this throughout the year, which I never thought I'd say. Look, I understand that this is literally AMC's whole business on the line, but I think they're overreacting and fighting the inevitable considering where we're at right now. Well, maybe not so much overreacting, but just shooting at a dart board of excuses for why this shouldn't be done.

 

This is coming from me: someone who loves the theatrical experience, thinks it's worth every penny, and hopes dearly that it sticks around. I also took forever to get on board with streaming and still think aspects of it are ridiculous and horrid for the consumer.

 

I want to go back to the cinema, but I simply don't feel safe to do so yet and I imagine there's still a lot of people out there who feel the same. I also think AMC is a bit optimistic, for various reasons, about the whole "vaccine around the corner" and that it'll quickly be back to business as usual point of view, but let's not get into that here.

 

I think, given the situation, it's pretty generous to do it the way HBO Max will be doing it. People will still have the option to go to the theaters if they want to and feel comfortable to and those that don't wouldn't have gone to see the film in theaters if it was exclusive to them anyway. If we just kept trying to release these massive films in theaters, I think they'll underperform quite a bit (like Tenet did, in the US at least) and studios will lose more money. This option just makes sense for them, as annoying as it is.

 

Obviously there are exceptions to that. Sure, this may sway some people who would've gone, but opted for the streaming option for whatever reason instead, but I don't feel like it'll change all that much on the movie theater side.

 

The pandemic itself is what has really sped up the decline of the movie theaters, not anything the studios have done.

 

I guess I'll finish by saying that I see an opportunity to rekindle this relationship between Studios and Theaters AND recoup lost revenue. Do a re-release of some of these films exclusively in theaters once we are at the proper point to do that. That way, if anyone missed them and wants to watch them that way, then they can.

 

 

[Jay 37,323]

1 minute ago, TSMefford said:

The pandemic itself is what has really sped up the decline of the movie theaters, not anything the studios have done.

 

I think so too.  I think come 2022 the box office will be about the same as 2019 or 2018

[TSMefford 1,509]

Just now, Jay said:

 

I think so too.  I think come 2022 the box office will be about the same as 2019 or 2018

 

That's about the timeline I'm imagining as well. Not sure what all will be coming out that year off the top of my head, but I'm sure there will be plenty that can help reinvigorate the theatrical experience. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I just want a Godzilla vs Kong trailer!

[Edmilson 7,398]

2 hours ago, TSMefford said:

 

That's about the timeline I'm imagining as well. Not sure what all will be coming out that year off the top of my head, but I'm sure there will be plenty that can help reinvigorate the theatrical experience. 

 

I like to imagine that people will be eager to leave their houses. We're so tired to being confined to our homes that people will be anxious to return to theaters, sporting events, musical concerts, etc. Maybe I'm being a little optimistic.

[TSMefford 1,509]

8 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 

I like to imagine that people will be eager to leave their houses. We're so tired to being confined to our homes that people will be anxious to return to theaters, sporting events, musical concerts, etc. Maybe I'm being a little optimistic.

 

I mean of course we are. I am certainly eager to leave, but also anxious at the same time. I think at this point, we're all antsy and want this to be over. I would love to go and do things again when I feel confident that it is safe to do so. Unfortunately, I am not optimistic that I'll feel totally safe even when a vaccine comes out in a few months.

 

Potentially too political: I hope it's not the case, but I can't help but be worried the vaccine is possibly being rushed for obvious reasons. Not to mention what it will cost (would be great if it was free, but I'm not going to bank on that). Plus, I know for sure that not nearly enough people will want to get it for themselves. This is what I was alluding to when I said AMC was being too optimistic that the vaccine will quickly solve all the problems.

[Edmilson 7,398]

I trust the vaccines will be safe for use, but I don't expect being vaccinated until later 2021 - older people and group risks need to get it first  .

[TSMefford 1,509]

1 minute ago, Edmilson said:

I trust the vaccines will be safe for use, but I don't expect being vaccinated until later 2021 - older people and group risks need to get it first  .

 

Absolutely also true! I won't get it until later as well. 

 

Yeah it may be an irrational fear at this point, but I figure it would be like 2020 attacking from beyond the grave. Lol. Perhaps, I've just become overly cautious.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

11 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 older people and group risks need to get it first  .

 

Zeke Emanuel disagrees.

[Matt C 452]

Not that I'm opposed to this, but WB is going to lose a LOT of money on their big titles (especially WW84, The Suicide Squad, Dune and The Matrix 4).

 

It would not surprise me at all if WB reduces the length of their theatrical and HBO Max strategy if things significantly improve for theaters by summer 2021. 

[TSMefford 1,509]

15 hours ago, Matt C said:

Not that I'm opposed to this, but WB is going to lose a LOT of money on their big titles (especially WW84, The Suicide Squad, Dune and The Matrix 4).

 

It would not surprise me at all if WB reduces the length of their theatrical and HBO Max strategy if things significantly improve for theaters by summer 2021. 

 

How do you figure they will lose a lot of money on them by doing this? The way I see it, they'll probably get approximately the same amount of money they would from theaters regardless of if the film was on streaming: the people who feel comfortable going to the theaters probably still will (because people are itching to get out) and the people who won't still won't. However, the people that wouldn't have gone regardless may now subscribe to HBO Max for these films.

 

I think they'll make more money than they would've by just relying on theaters, which aren't doing well anyways right now. Tenet is a prime example. Yeah, it made money in the US, but not nearly the money it would've normally. If it was out on streaming, I bet it would've done better in the US overall when combined with theater earnings.

 

Like I said above, you could argue that there will be enough of an impact from being available on streaming that a lot more people won't go to the theaters that otherwise would, but I'm doubtful there will be many people that choose to stream when they would've gone to the theater without the streaming option. Right now, I think this looks like the most profitable option for WB and it creates more buzz around their streaming service that they need people for.

 

I do agree that should things get better far faster than I'm expecting, they absolutely will end this experiment early. They're a company and will go to where the chance of the most money is. They will most certainly lose money overall though no matter what they do vs what they would've made were things "normal", but there's no helping that at the moment. I realize now this might've been what you were saying, if so, just ignore the novel above.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I would have paid $30 to watch Tenet at home. I still am, except now I’ll own it on 4K!

[TSMefford 1,509]

9 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I would have paid $30 to watch Tenet at home. I still am, except now I’ll own it on 4K!

 

I would've as well. I've done this with other films when they were available too during all this.

[Jay 37,323]

Steven Soderbergh on the HBO Max announcement

 

Quote

The industry has appeared headed toward a streaming world for some time, and COVID has sped up that transition—highlighted by the recent announcement that Warner Bros. will debut its entire 2021 film slate on HBO Max. Is this the beginning of the end for theaters?

 

No. Not at all. It’s just a reaction to an economic reality that I think everybody is going to have to acknowledge pretty soon, which is that even with a vaccine, the theatrical movie business won’t be robust enough in 2021 to justify the amount of P&A you need to spend to put a movie into wide release. There’s no scenario in which a theater that is 50 percent full, or at least can’t be made 100 percent full, is a viable paradigm to put out a movie in. But that will change. We will reach a point where anybody who wants to go to a movie will feel safe going to a movie.

 

I think somebody sat down and did a very clear-eyed analysis of what COVID is going to do in the next year, even with a potential vaccine, and said, I don’t see this as being workable in 2021. Because let’s be clear: there is no bonanza in the entertainment industry that is the equivalent of a movie that grosses a billion dollars or more theatrically. That is the holy grail. So the theatrical business is not going away. There are too many companies that have invested too much money in the prospect of putting out a movie that blows up in theaters—there’s nothing like it. It’s all going to come back. But I think Warners is saying: not as soon as you think.

Are you worried that once the genie is out of the bottle, it’ll be difficult to put it back in?

 

No. I think it’ll finally push the studios and NATO (National Association of Theater Owners) to have some practical and realistic conversations about windowing. Because there needs to be more fluidity. There’s not going to be one template that fits every movie. Every movie is different. You need the flexibility. If you’re in a bad situation, and you’ve got a movie that you opened wide, and you know Friday at 3 p.m. it’s not working, you need to be able to get it on a platform as soon as possible. You spent so much money trying to make this work, and if it didn’t, you should be able to do whatever you want to do. Theaters are going to be pushing you out anyway because you bombed. They’re looking for the next thing that’s going to work. I just think we live in a technological world that allows for fluidity that we’re just not seeing right now. We’re still seeing this broad template that’s supposed to work for everything, and that’s not how it’s going to get solved.

 

Will theaters wind up being only the domain of big-budget spectaculars?

 

I think there are a lot of factors to consider when wondering if that’s the way things are going to go. One variable that hasn’t really been scaled up is that, now that we live in an all-digital world, all of these big theater chains have the ability to turn themselves into repertory cinemas in which they screen films from any period of the last 120 years for audiences who’ve never seen them in a theater. There are all these movies from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and early aughts that nobody has seen in a theater. Big hits, great movies. And I’m waiting for somebody to go, OK, we’re going to have a program where everybody knows that on these certain nights, or on the weekend, you put [them] out. When I was growing up, the repertory cinema had the calendar for the fall, and you would know, oh, they’re going to show Deliverance, they’re going to show this. There are options here to get people back into the habit of going to see movies, and giving them something they’ve haven’t seen before, that aren’t being explored at any sizeable scale. So that’s one thing.

 

The other thing is, every time we think that it’s just going to be tentpoles and blockbusters—and art-house movies on the other end—something shows up in the middle and works. Downton Abbey made a lot of money. That movie was coming out when we were in discussions with Warners about Let Them All Talk, and I pointed to that as an example of what I consider to be our audience. That’s our demographic; that’s the audience I want. And look, they showed up for that.

 

The cost of putting something out is rising faster than the revenue on the return. And it’s a trajectory that nobody’s happy about and nobody can seem to stop.

Absolutely. But it does feel like more mid-range movies—including Let Them All Talk—are now heading to streaming platforms.

It’s economics. The cost of putting something out is rising faster than the revenue on the return. And it’s a trajectory that nobody’s happy about and nobody can seem to stop. The competition for eyeballs now is really fucking intense. There are a lot of people spending a lot of money to get eyeballs. For the studios, fifteen years ago, they didn’t have to compete with Netflix and Disney+ or whatever. So your marketing dollar went a longer way than it does now, because you spend a dollar now, and everybody else is spending the same amount, including some people that didn’t exist before.

 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/filmmaker-steven-soderbergh-on-hbo-max-the-death-of-cinema-and-vibing-with-meryl-streep

[Jay 37,323]

‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal

[TSMefford 1,509]

1 hour ago, Jay said:

Steven Soderbergh on the HBO Max announcement

 

This is pretty much exactly what I have had my head. Theaters aren't going anywhere, but 2021 is simply not going to be the time to try and go back 100%. Studios have to explore other options to try and increase revenue for the next year. I fully expect that things will be looking much better for theaters in 2022.

 

I also appreciate everything he mentions about how the release window could change, especially on a film by film basis. Plus, the fact that theaters rescreen previously released films all the time. I'd love for that to happen more often.

 

Streaming and technology has changed so much with how the entertainment industries for better and for worse (but that's a whole other discussion). It has felt like a bit like people in the industry (and some outside of it too) are clinging a bit too much to the way it's always been done. Almost like the theatrical experience exists in this bubble where everyone pretends streaming doesn't exist.

 

The two will have to learn to work with each other in the future eventually. That's just the way it's going, whether we like it or not. This is still coming from someone with a large and continually growing physical media collection and someone who wants to see as many films in theaters that I can. And someone who thinks the current way of streaming is massively flawed. But most people seem to love it and don't care about it's shortcomings.

 

Great stuff in that interview and in my opinion, absolutely right.

 

44 minutes ago, Jay said:

‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal

 

Interesting. Not surprised at all that Warner didn't really tell anyone and just made the call. Wonder what will come of this. 

 

As far as Villeneuve, not surprising that those are his thoughts on the matter and I can respect that, but I wonder what he wants exactly? To release the film at it's scheduled time, in theaters, and hope it doesn't do poorly due to low turnout (like 'Tenet' with Christopher Nolan)? Or wait until the time is better and release it then (potentially delaying it another year)? If there's a part two on the line, you'd think you'd want part one to do well so that the studio let's you finish the story.

 

It's tough because I truly do respect directors sticking to their guns and wanting to maintain the theatrical experience, but I think it's important to also consider the unique circumstances and realize that this is still (hopefully) temporary.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It means WB burnt bridges with its business partners.

[TSMefford 1,509]

2 hours ago, The Big Man said:

It means WB burnt bridges with its business partners.

 

I mean they already split earlier this year. I think the bridge has already been burned. They're only together on this because it was started before they split I'd imagine.

Sooo. Looks like you may be more correct than I initially thought @The Big Man It's not just Legendary. Seems they told absolutely no one.

 

‘You Just Screwed Up the Film Business’: Panic Over the Warner Bros. News Sets In

 

Quote

According to an insider with knowledge of the situation who spoke to Vulture on condition of anonymity, top brass at Village Roadshow, the company making The Matrix 4, and Legendary Pictures, the company producing Godzilla vs. Kong, were neither consulted nor warned of the studio’s impending distribution upheaval. And they were shocked to discover their tentpole releases were going day and date by reading about it in news reports.

***

...many filmmakers with movies in Warner Bros.’ “coming attractions” queue were caught off guard by reading the news. “HOLY SHIT,” one texted to his equally flabbergasted agent. “This is ridiculous that they wouldn’t even make one phone call,” another said in a message to an executive at a rival studio. “They didn’t even try to reach out. And they just assume that we would go along with this.”

 

Not sure how accurate this article is necessarily though. I tried to find others talking about this and didn't see anything. If it's true though, then there's also talent contracts they may have to deal with, something that hadn't even crossed my mind yet:

Quote

Warner Bros., respectively, called the heads of Hollywood’s top talent agencies — CAA, WME, UTA, and Paradigm — to discuss renegotiating certain “talent deals” attached to films on the 2021 calendar. That is, deals along the lines of WW84 star Gal Gadot’s $10 million payday, which comprises a back-end component that would have taken effect only when the movie earned a certain dollar amount at the box office. Such deals needed to be extensively amended given the movie’s shared-custody theatrical/streaming release. According to sources, Warner Bros. will have to “buy out” every such deal on every movie it plans to release next year, a hugely costly and exhaustive process.

 

Could end up being more expensive than it's worth maybe? It appears they really just pulled the trigger randomly.

[Jay 37,323]

Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as "Worst Streaming Service," Denounces Warner Bros.' Plan

[A24 4,327]

Dune production company may take legal action over HBO Max deal:

 

https://www.ign.com/articles/dunes-production-company-may-take-legal-action-over-hbo-max-deal

[TSMefford 1,509]

4 hours ago, Jay said:

Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as "Worst Streaming Service," Denounces Warner Bros.' Plan

I am a huge fan of his work, but this comes off as ridiculously entitled and overblown from him. 
 

Especially when Tenet only made just over $57 million in the US. That is stupidly low for a film like that. And it was because of the insistence that it be released in the summer and only in theaters.

 

His comments make it seem like that this is utterly irreversible and has killed their company. It sounds more and more like this was their best option to recover. Don’t get me wrong. WB has handled this poorly. Allegedly keeping the plan secret to it wouldn’t “leak”? Come on. Your talent and production partners are more than capable of keeping bigger secrets that this. No reason for keeping all of them in the dark. But comments like this, just come off so childish. Look at the bigger picture dude. We’re still in the middle of a pandemic!

 

Also, please. The worst streaming service is Hulu by far. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Pandemic that hardly affects young people who go to the cinema. Why don't they just ban the elderly from admission?

[Bilbo 3,709]

Christopher Nolan going for the privileged arsehole of the year award. 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Tenent sucked anyway!

[crocodile 7,990]

21 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

Christopher Nolan going for the privileged arsehole of the year award. 

Maybe... However, there is a real chance this switch to streaming might bite WB in the arse causing even more job losses in the long run. We shall see. I'm strangely unbothered either way.

 

9 minutes ago, The Big Man said:

Tenent sucked anyway!

Wasn't very good, I agree.

 

Karol

[Manakin Skywalker 4,891]

On 12/3/2020 at 3:03 PM, Edmilson said:

The golden age of torrent is coming back!

 

On 12/3/2020 at 3:04 PM, blondheim said:

It's never left really

 

[Jay 37,323]

5 hours ago, AC1 said:

Dune production company may take legal action over HBO Max deal:

 

https://www.ign.com/articles/dunes-production-company-may-take-legal-action-over-hbo-max-deal

 

Come on Alex, really!?

 

15 hours ago, Jay said:

‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I heard somewhere that Legendary is upset at WB for this decision.

[Edmilson 7,398]

Nolan's statement, combined with the poor box office performance of Tenet, will probably make him cut ties with WB. I wonder which studio will produce his next movies, maybe Paramount? They co-produced Interstellar.