Entire Warner Bros. 2021 Film Slate Heading To Both HBOMax and Theaters

Warner Bros. has announced their entire 2021 slate of films will be available to stream at home (on HBO Max) as well as in theaters.

In a shocking and unprecedented move for the film industry, Warner Bros. has announced their entire 2021 catalog of films slated to be released theatrically will also be available to stream at home on HBO Max as well, according to Variety.

Much like the recently announced Christmas debut for Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984”, all of WB’s other tentpole, big-budget films will be heading to the streaming service due to the global Covid-19 pandemic that is still rampant in parts of the world. This includes titles like the Wachowski’s “Matrix 4,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” and James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad.” The current release strategy will make all of WB’s films available on HBO Max for 31 days starting the same day they are released in the theaters. After the 31 days, the films will be available only in theaters for a period before the traditional home video release.

Screening strategies of this scale have never been attempted before and is a likely sign that the other major studios like Disney, Paramount and Universal will soon be following their competition’s lead. Disney was disappointed with the isolated experiment of “Mulan” recently but with a hefty ‘premium’ charge, negative reviews and behind the scenes controversies, the results on streaming revenue success are still up in the air.

Other highly anticipated flicks from WB that will now be heading to your tv include: “Godzilla Vs Kong,” “Mortal Kombat,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” and many more. WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar writes: “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.”

The streaming wars are in full effect as WB is clearly trying to boost HBO Max subscriptions to compete with Netflix, current reigning champ of the services and Disney Plus, the massive yet up and coming heavyweight.

If by mid 2021 the majority of theaters are still closed, it will mark over a year of lost profit as each passing day sends studios into the red.