Warner Bros. will release all of its new 2021 movies simultaneously on HBO Max

[Arthur]

Source: The Verge

 

WarnerMedia is pushing even more aggressively into streaming by releasing every single movie in 2021 simultaneously on HBO Max.

 

There are some limitations to the new business model. The movies will only stream on HBO Max for one month before leaving the platform for a period of time. They will also play in theaters, keeping the relationship with movie theater distributors like AMC and Regal. The plan is to run this experiment for one year.

 

The movies Warner Bros. is planning to release include:

 

The Little Things

Judas and the Black Messiah

Tom & Jerry

Godzilla vs. Kong

Mortal Kombat

Those Who Wish Me Dead

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

In The Heights

Space Jam: A New Legacy

The Suicide Squad

Reminiscence

Malignant

Dune

The Many Saints of Newark

King Richard

Cry Macho

Matrix 4

 

All films will be released in 4K Ultra HD and HDR.

 

“We’re living in unprecedented times which call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group,” said Warner Bros. CEO Ann 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.”

[LeMarchand]

I can't help but think that this is very bad news for cinemas, but very good news for pirates.

[Bompalompalomp]

Sincerely hope this doesn't affect the future of the Legendary Monsterverse. Love those films

[CeekaySchofield]

It is a shame for all those in the Cinema industry, but saying that this is only on HBO Max which is not in UK unless you go through other routes to get it.

 

It is scary to think how retail will look in the future with it all being online shopping and same for Cinemas when you got Disney and now Warner Bros putting it on a streaming platform.

[paulkerton]

Sincerely hope this doesn't affect the future of the Legendary Monsterverse. Love those films

As much as I love them too, Godzilla vs Kong, based on the box office returns of the other two, is very likely to be the last one anyway. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

It won't affect the UK anyway I don't think. Wonder Woman 1984 is still cinema only, even though half of them are shut and are likely to be when launch day comes along. Godzilla and Kong might end up as a Netflix film outside the US, as they seem to be big fans of the big G at Netflix, and have done the animations with Toei in recent years. Netflix have apparently bid $200m for worldwide rights outside the US for it. That'd certainly be an instant return of money for WB/Legendary at least.

Edited December 4, 2020 by paulkerton

[paulkerton]

It is scary to think how retail will look in the future with it all being online shopping and same for Cinemas when you got Disney and now Warner Bros putting it on a streaming platform.

I think there will always be some form of cinemas. Especially the Everyman civilised film goer style. But I think the multiplexes will be fewer and farther between. Last film I saw at the cinema was Godzilla : King of the Monsters, and the selfish behaviour of patrons then pretty much put me off cinema going again anyway.