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Every 2021 Warner Bros. film shall be on HBO Max and in US theatres on the similar time, the studio introduced Thursday. Two weeks in the past, when its guardian WarnerMedia determined to launch Wonder Woman 1984 — a main superhero title anticipated to gross a billion {dollars} on the field workplace — day-an-date on streaming and in cinemas, everybody thought it was a one-off. But that was the simply the beginning. Warner Bros. is sending a number of potential billion-dollar titles to streaming (if they aren’t delayed), together with the likes of James Gunn’s tender reboot The Suicide Squad, Keanu Reeves-led The Matrix 4, and Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi franchise starter Dune.
And that is not all. Warner Bros.’ anticipated film line-up for 2021 consists of crime thriller The Little Things with Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto; Judas and the Black Messiah starring Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield, a live-action/animated Tom & Jerry, the monsters-driven Godzilla vs. Kong, the online game adaptation Mortal Kombat, Angelina Jolie-led Those Who Wish Me Dead, horror sequel The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, stage musical adaptation In The Heights, LeBron James-led sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy, sci-fi drama Reminiscence from Westworld’s Lisa Joy, James Wan horror Malignant, The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, tennis Williams biopic King Richard, and Clint Eastwood’s neo-Western Cry Macho.
That is a packed line-up and it indicators WarnerMedia’s intent to develop HBO Max — the streaming service launched again in May and is presently unique to the US — at the price of billions of field workplace {dollars}. Of course, that is assuming that theatres will return to regular in 2021, and Warner Bros. believes that isn’t occurring within the US any time quickly. Those aren’t my phrases, WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff mentioned so herself in a assertion (beneath). While that is nice for Americans, it is annoying for everybody outdoors the US, since HBO Max has very restricted worldwide launch plans in the mean time. India isn’t a part of it, to date, so we’ll nonetheless need to catch these films at a theatre.
Even within the US, all of the Warner Bros. films shall be out there for 31 days solely on HBO Max — in 4K HDR — as is the case for the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984. The studio expects them to play for much longer in cinemas globally, particularly provided that cinemas have been dealing with a lack of product since March.
While WarnerMedia is actually not the primary to upend the theatrical distribution mannequin, that is the boldest technique but for the long run. While Disney+ has delivered some surprises this 12 months — in Hamilton, Mulan, and Pixar’s upcoming Soul — Disney is preserving all of its greatest titles from the Marvel Cinematic Universe safe for the cinemas. Universal Pictures has a deal in place with AMC Theaters that enables it to place its films (equivalent to the following Fast & Furious, F9) on pay-per-view 17 days after a launch in theatres. But that is nowhere near what Warner Bros. has proposed.
“We’re living in unprecedented times which call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group,” mentioned Sarnoff. “No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. With this unique one-year plan, we can support our partners in exhibition with a steady pipeline of world-class films, while also giving moviegoers who may not have access to theaters or aren’t quite ready to go back to the movies the chance to see our amazing 2021 films. We see it as a win-win for film lovers and exhibitors, and we’re extremely grateful to our filmmaking partners for working with us on this innovative response to these circumstances.”
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar added: “After considering all available options and the projected state of moviegoing throughout 2021, we came to the conclusion that this was the best way for WarnerMedia’s motion picture business to navigate the next 12 months. More importantly, we are planning to bring consumers 17 remarkable movies throughout the year, giving them the choice and the power to decide how they want to enjoy these films. Our content is extremely valuable, unless it’s sitting on a shelf not being seen by anyone. We believe this approach serves our fans, supports exhibitors and filmmakers, and enhances the HBO Max experience, creating value for all.”
Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich mentioned: “This hybrid exhibition model enables us to best support our films, creative partners and moviegoing in general throughout 2021. We have a fantastic, wide ranging slate of titles from talented and visionary filmmakers next year, and we’re excited to be able get these movies in front of audiences around the world. And, as always, we’ll support all of our releases with innovative and robust marketing campaigns for their theatrical debuts, while highlighting this unique opportunity to see our films domestically via HBO Max as well.”
(This story has not been edited by Newslivenation employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)