On November 18th Warner Bros. announced that “Wonder Woman 1984” would debut simultaneously in theaters and HBO Max, free of charge to subscribers for the first month, on Christmas Day. Today it was announced that this won’t be a one time occurrence as every Warner Bros. film in 2021 will similarly stream on HBO Max at the same time they appear on the big screen.
This will include blockbusters such as “Godzilla vs. Kong”, “Dune”, and “The Matrix 4”. The decision likely comes after the Christopher Nolan film, “Tenet”, brought in just over $57 million domestically for Warner Bros. In contrast the film made over $300 million internationally, but closed theaters and COVID-19 fears have kept moviegoers away in the states.
Big and Bold
Ann Sarnoff, chief executive of WarnerMedia Studios, said in an interview that “Big and bold is a necessity right now.” She assures that it is merely temporary and a “one-year plan”. Whether or not any other studios will follow suit is unknown, but this is the most daring plan made by one thus far. The next closest was Disney who released the live action “Mulan” remake on their streaming service, Dinsey+, but with a fee.
Sarnoff also stated that “I’m very optimistic that this is a win-win-win for our fans, our filmmakers, and our exhibitors. We’re getting the movies out. We’re allowing them to be seen on the big screen, which is what they were made for, but giving an alternative. The hybrid approach also allows us to market them in a fuller way than we would have had we just looked at the less-than-full capacities in theatrical right now.”
Theaters Feel the Crunch
Exhibitors are likely to feel less rosy about the deal as they, in particular, have felt the brunt of the impact left by the pandemic in the movie industry. With COVID-19 cases again on the rise and no major films set for release most theaters, about 60%, have closed.
Adam Aron, chief executive of AMC theaters, disagreed with Warner Bros. plan. While they were willing to work with plans to release “Wonder Woman 1984” in such a way as a one-off, Aron feels that by 2021 a vaccine could bring about a recovery.
In a statement he said, “Clearly WarnerMedia intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize HBO Max. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense.”
The Future
While no studio has yet made plans to release films theatrically and on streaming at the same time indefinitely, a full year’s slate of films for a studio may give an interesting test run. They will get a particularly good peak at what such an economic model would look like should the pandemic come under control by the second half of 2021.
While many cinephiles, like myself, will never give up the theatrical experience for anything other than a pandemic, there is no denying that there are likely many more movie goers who would be just as satisfied watching the newest releases on the couch and in the comfort of their own home. This would prove a nightmare scenario for theaters across the country, but could also prove itself unsustainable in the long run for movie studios as well.
Rest assured that studios, theaters, fans, and all of Hollywood will be keeping a close eye on how the final act of this drama unfolds.
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