We knew the continued effects of the Coronavirus pandemic would have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the theatrical industry, but Warner Bros. have just completely changed the game. The studio has announced that their entire slate of movie releases throughout 2021 will debut simultaneously on the big screen and HBO Max, which could potentially reinvent cinema forever.
More and more high-profile titles have been heading straight to streaming over the last nine months as people remain skeptical about returning to their local multiplex in big numbers, but this unprecedented move by WB might have a knock-on effect, one which could theoretically make the theatrical experience completely redundant as audiences will be able to check out the biggest new movies from the comfort of their own homes.
Similar to the Wonder Woman 1984 model, all of Warner Bros.‘ projects will be available on HBO Max for a month only before continuing to play in cinemas, and you can guarantee that subscriptions to the streaming service are going to go through the roof now that customers will have access to the likes of Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, In the Heights, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Suicide Squad, Dune, The Matrix 4 and many more.
“The [studio] putting its entire 2021 theatrical slate on HBO Max for the films’ respective first month of release, concurrent with a global cinema release,” reports Deadline.
It’s difficult to put into words just how seismic this decision could be, and if Disney get similar ideas about their upcoming slate, then the future of Hollywood as we know it is facing wholesale change given the sheer wealth of marquee properties at the Mouse House’s disposal. Of course, theater owners aren’t going to take this revelation too kindly, because now tens of millions of people have the option to pay a monthly subscription fee to stay at home on opening weekend instead of handing their money over to an already struggling industry.