Warner Bros. stunned the entertainment industry when the studio announced plans to release 17 of its 2021 films on HBO Max day-and-date with theaters. The decision received pushback from filmmakers like Tenet director Christopher Nolan, who may no longer with Warner Bros. as a result.
Under the terms of Warner Bros.' current 2021 release strategy, 17 of its films will be released in theaters while simultaneously being available on HBO Max at no additional cost to subscribers. The titles would be available on the WarnerMedia streamer for one month before being removed, with standard release windows applying to each film afterward.
Theater owners largely condemned Warner Bros.' decision and gained support from Nolan, who argued the 17 films selected to debut on HBO Max were intended to be theatrical experiences that were now being used as a "loss-leader" for the streaming service. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports Nolan is "unlikely" to work with Warner Bros. in the future partly due to the studios' 2021 release plans with HBO Max. It is unclear how Nolan's alleged decision would impact any of the projects he currently has in development at Warner Bros. Nolan and Warner Bros. have been partners since the filmmaker's 2002 psychological thriller Insomnia, producing hits such The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception over the past 20 years.
Initially scheduled to be debut in theaters in July 2020 until the COVID-19 pandemic forced Warner Bros. to rethink its release plans for the year, Tenet ultimately premiered in theaters in late August worldwide and early September in the United States. Nolan had argued against releasing Tenet on HBO Max or other on-demand services before its theatrical run. Unfortunately, Tenet has earned a worldwide total of $363 million at this point, below the estimated $400 million it needed to break even.
The underwhelming box office performance of Tenet reportedly played a part in Warner Bros.' decision to release Wonder Woman 1984 in select theaters and HBO Max simultaneously on Christmas day 2020. As with the films slated to debut on HBO Max and theaters at the same time in 2021, Wonder Woman 1984 will only be available on the streaming service for one month.
Warner Bros. plans to include Godzilla vs. Kong in the HBO Max release slate nearly landed the studio in legal trouble with Legendary Pictures, the production company that covered 75% of the film's budget. Fortunately, a legal battle was avoided and both parties reached an agreement that resulted in Godzilla vs. Kong's simultaneous release date being pushed up to March 2021.
Tenet is now available on 4K Blu-Ray and on-demand.
Source: The Wall Street Journal