If folks were wondering if the Warner Bros./HBO Max film releases would be halting at the end of 2021, you now know the answer. The Hollywood Reporter has first reported that WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar insists his studio won’t abandon exclusive releases of tentpole pics at the local theater, but will also produce 10 movies next year exclusively for HBO Max to drive subscriber growth at the streaming service. Kilar told analysts on an AT&T earnings call as he returned to a familiar theme for WarnerMedia,
“The motion picture format absolutely matters,”
“the studio will release certain epic tentpoles at the local multiplex, even as shorter windows and day-and-date releases in theaters and on HBO Max becomes the new normal post-pandemic.”
He highlighted the box office success for Warner Bros. with Godzilla vs. Kong with $462 million in revenue in theaters as big event films still play well at the multiplex.
“And so clearly some pictures matter and will continue to matter when it comes to the actual exhibition,”
However, he added
“going back to the way the world was in 2015, 2016 or 2017 where windows were quite lengthy between theatrical and home exhibition.”
None of this news surprises me as Warners/HBO Max has proven that the duel release motto, along with releases just on the streaming service can be successful.
