In a year of movie delays due to a global pandemic, there’s been a lot of speculation as to which studio would blink first when it came to sending movies straight to streaming. Warner Bros. took the first step when they announced they would be putting Wonder Woman 1984 up for streaming on HBO Max this Christmas. Now it looks like the studio is going all in — the studio will be putting all 17 of its 2021 movies up on HBO Max as well as airing them in theaters.
Warner Bros. has stated that this is only for 2021, given that the pandemic continues to rage on. There are also some stipulations involved. The films will only be available for 30 days, starting on the day they premiere in U.S. theaters. After that, they will be pulled from the platform for a time.
Here are the films that will be coming out from Warner Bros. in 2021:
- The Suicide Squad
- The Matrix 4
- Dune
- 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
- In the Heights
- Reminiscence
- Malignant
- The Many Saints of Newark
- King Richard
- Cry Macho
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar released a statement on the matter, saying, “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.”
Theaters owners, as one can imagine, are not pleased. “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,” AMC’s CEO Adam Aron tells Variety. “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.”
Variety also reports that a film executive, who wished to remain nameless, said, “If Disney follows this template in any capacity, movie theaters are done.”
It looks like Warner Bros. is trying to put a more positive spin on it. “It allows us to do a global release and a national release in what we think is going to be a checkerboarded theatrical market place for the bulk of 2021,” Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We think where theaters are open, and consumers can go, that a lot of people will choose to go to the theater, especially for big movies.”
