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 likeTenetdirector Christopher Nolan, who may no longer with Warner Bros. as a result.
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Theater owners largely condemned Warner Bros.' decision andgained 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, TheWall Street Journalreports 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 thrillerInsomnia, producing hits suchThe Dark Knighttrilogy andInceptionover 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,Tenetultimately premiered in theaters in late August worldwide and early September in the United States. Nolan had arguedagainst releasingTeneton HBO Maxor other on-demand services before its theatrical run. Unfortunately,Tenethas earned a worldwide total of $363million at this point, below the estimated $400million it needed to break even.
The underwhelming box office performance ofTenetreportedly played a part in Warner Bros.' decision to releaseWonder Woman 1984in select theaters and HBO Maxsimultaneously on Christmas day 2020. As with the films slated to debut on HBO Max and theaters at the same time in 2021,Wonder Woman 1984will only be available on the streaming service for one month.
Warner Bros. plans to includeGodzilla vs. Kongin the HBO Max release slatenearly 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 inGodzilla vs. Kong’s simultaneous release date being pushed up to March 2021.
Tenetis now available on 4K Blu-Ray and on-demand.
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