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Warner Bros. will offer new movie releases in 2021 on HBO Max at the same time as its theatrical release, a move that launches the first cannonball in the battle between future movie screenings and streaming services.
The full list of Warner movies that will be released next year, 17 in total, will be available on HBO Max as they hit theaters, as reported by the New York Times.
These upcoming movies include Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong and The Matrix 4.
Warner says it is exploring the opportunities of the new “hybrid model,” manufactured at no additional cost, for HBO Max subscribers across the United States. However, the announcement about the simultaneous release has the potential to shake the foundations of what remains of the beleaguered movie industry, with many chains already facing bankruptcy.
Few industries have been as affected as hospitality and entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Theaters have been forced to close, pubs have been forced to close or offer only takeout services, and countless people in creative events and roles have lost their jobs.
Typically, there is roughly a 90-day window between theaters showing new releases and content available elsewhere. However, by announcing plans to revoke this 90-day period, Warner caused movie theater stocks to fall on Thursday, making an already precarious situation caused by COVID-19 restrictions and the impact of the pandemic. in film production and client screenings were potentially even worse.
It wasn’t just investors who got nervous after the news. The shocking announcement prompted AMC Entertainment CEO Adam Aron to say that the network has “begun an immediate and urgent dialogue with Warner’s leadership on this issue,” as Gizmodo noted.
“Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a significant portion of the profitability of its motion picture studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max startup,” said the CEO. “As for AMC, we will do everything in our power to ensure that Warner does not do it at our expense.”
If this is to be believed, the profits generated by Warner’s movie studios could become the slaughtered lamb to prop up and subsidize HBO Max, no matter, perhaps, what the consequences will be for the film industry as a whole.
The $ 14.99-a-month HBO Max platform hasn’t drawn the flood of subscribers the company would have liked to see, behind rival services like Disney + and Netflix.
Speaking to NYT, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said that even if the theater industry started to rebound and Covid restrictions were lowered, the new model, in which new movies will be shown for a month on HBO Max , will remain in effect during 2021.
On twitter, the views were mixed. Many applauded the news, stating their desire to watch new movies at home without increasing exposure to COVID-19, while others criticized Warner for what could be a serious blow to traditional cinemas.
One Twitter user, perhaps, better express a school of thought:
“Fuck them. I’d rather see new releases in the comfort of my home. It bothers me to have to wait weeks or months if I don’t want to take a trip and pay more to sit in a movie theater to see them.” ”
This comment touches on what we have become accustomed to during the confinements and the orders to stay at home: the consumption of immediate media and gratification.
First, we no longer had to wait week to week for the next episode of our favorite TV show, with entire seasons downloaded from content distribution platforms in one go. We could then rent printed copies of films anytime we wanted. Then, streaming services appeared, as well as on-demand update services.
In fairness to streaming services, many did well during the lockdown to provide the widest range of entertainment possible, with some also limiting the high-resolution options to cope with increased demand, as they forced us to stay. at home, bake, work, play or crash in front of a television for entertainment.
However, the decision not to give cinemas an exclusive time before films finish on streaming platforms during 2021 may lead other companies to follow suit, and in other countries, perhaps meeting our expectations that the media are available faster than before, but hammering. another nail in the coffin of movie theaters.
This is a reminder of when UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government would try to protect “viable” jobs, leaving many in the creative, events and hospitality industries to sink, swim or recycle.
When you throw a heavyweight like Warner into the ring, it is possible that a private company could end up deciding how the future of cinema will unfold (and of course attracting more subscribers to a streaming service is a bonus). and also unknowingly choosing whether the big screen is “viable” or not, after Covid.
If consumers embrace “straight to stream” with enthusiasm, it can be nearly impossible to revert to the old 90-day model, transforming streaming services from a late night show to the preferred way of watching new movies.
If that happens, traditional cinema can become a thing of the past and get lost in what will become the “new normal” after the threat of the coronavirus has subsided in our minds.
Ann Sarnoff, CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, said in a press release that “no one wants movies to return to the big screen more than we do. [and] We know that new content is the lifeblood of theatrical display, but we have to balance this with the reality that the majority of theaters in the US will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021. ”
“We see it as a mutual benefit for moviegoers and exhibitors,” added Sarnoff. However, the long-term consequences of this decision and its impact on viewers and filmmakers remain to be seen.
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