Warners to release entire 2021 slate to HBO Max
- Thread starter StCoop
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This is interesting as it gives Warner a year to evaluate if this model is successful for them. In the entire list of movies there are only two, Dune and Wonder Woman that I would have seen at the theatre --maybe Matrix 4 if the reviews were good. I don't think this will be the death of the movie theatre experience but in two years I can see a lot of big multiplexes going the way of strip malls.
In a lot of countries, pirated DVDs are sold openly. Those countries still have movie theatres doing solid business.
And when are they rolling out HBOMax around the world?
Oh they're not. Okay.
Oh they're not. Okay.
I wonder how this will affect the chances of some of these movies getting sequels. It's going to be really to determine just how financially successful they are and whether they earned enough to justify a sequel.
Yes, screw them.
But in any case, the studios have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders, not to the people who thought charging $5 for a coke and $8 for a popcorn while making you sit through 25 minutes of overly loud previews was a great business plan. Screwing customers repeatedly over the years hasn't exactly bred intense loyalty.
If people eventually want to return to theaters, (and my family certainly does, I rented out an AMC theater last month for a showing of Jurassic Park, so I am not hater of the cinema), someone will find a viable way to do so, without depending on having exclusive access to the movies. The period of exclusivity was going to end at some point. The current year just hastened things on.
My guess is that there will be deals with other streaming services. Here in Canada, CraveTV offers HBO Max offerings on a limited basis including new original series and movies. The problem is that Crave doesn't offer the best quality video/sound and its buffering isn't the best either.
Just to add:
https://globalnews.ca/news/7499969/warner-bros-2021-movies-canada-hbo-max-theatres/
"The concurrent window on HBO Max is restricted solely to the United States. Warner Bros. is not making such a window available in any other territory, including Canada.
While these movies will be released initially in theatres in Canada, they will be coming to Crave following their standard theatrical windows."
That's because pirated copies are often crap. 4k pirate copies will encourage more people to not go.
How do you expect theaters to make a profit? Their profit margin is 4% after expenses.
Hardly. Once the pandemic is under control (And it will eventually be); the Cinema industry will rebound. It won't be a quick thing over a couple of weeks, but by the end of the first year after the COBID-19 situation lessens and restrictions are lifted; Cinema attendance will be back and the studios will be raking in money from the billion dollar blockbusters worldwide.
And just FYI for you kids (and hell this was a little bit before my time too); but they predicted the same thing back when television set ownership became widespread.
There's just too much money wrapped up in Cinema exhibition for studios; And people will return to going to the cinema at some point in the near future. (And by that I mean a year or two).
After a year of people getting used to watching new movies at home and upgrading their home entertainment systems, you'll be hard pressed to get them to go out and pay money to put their butts in those sticky theater seats to watch the same movies. No, what I see happening is theaters moving to being a niche, luxury experience. We're already seeing that with those VIP screens, but this would go another step further.
The CEO of AMC Theaters is understandably pissed WB is doing this.
They are going to be launching HBO Max is Europe next year, and in Latin America mid-year. They are also going to continue rolling out in other countries over time, with the end goal of having it in a total of 190 countries.
They are going to be launching HBO Max is Europe next year, and in Latin America mid-year. They are also going to continue rolling out in other countries over time, with the end goal of having it in a total of 190 countries.
Listened to NPR Business News on my lunch break.
The announcer said that starting with its 2021 schedule, Universal Pictures is shortening its turnaround time on all films (no longer just 'tentpole') from theatrical release to streaming services from its previously announced 31 days to 17.
The announcer said that starting with its 2021 schedule, Universal Pictures is shortening its turnaround time on all films (no longer just 'tentpole') from theatrical release to streaming services from its previously announced 31 days to 17.
My entirely gut feeling with no evidence to support it take is, over the next 3-5 years, the cinema landscape will shakeout as follows:
IMAX, UltraAVX, Dolby Theatre, and other similar "hi-end" projection formats will continue to do well in population centres that can support them because they offer an "experience" that extremely few home cinemas can replicate. This is especially true for big cities where most people lack the space for a full home cinema (or lack accommodating neighbours). A 50" flatscreen and a soundbar are fine for everyday entertainment, but for "event movies", such cities will still provide audiences for the "premium cinema" experience. They will become ever more an "amusement park" type of outing.
In suburban landscapes, where detached housing makes home cinema much easier to set up (and is far less bothersome to neighbours), movie houses will have a hard time. A few "hi-end" cinemas at key shopping mall locations may keep going, but it will be more difficult for them.
In small towns, already quite limited in options, I suspect local cinemas will have to become multidisciplinary (if they aren't already). A mix of new releases, repertory events, and non-cinema (shows on stage--like the old days) will emerge. Or not. Many will close.
Smaller scale films (comedies, dramas, etc.) that are not IMAX style extravaganzas will make the festival circuits and then be VOD or streaming. On the one hand, that approach greatly expands the reach of such films in finding audiences. On the other hand, some of the more subtle cinematographic artistry that truly comes alive on a "very large screen" will be lost in the background of smaller TV sized screens. That's likely to lead to less visually interesting versions of smaller scale films.
(deposits medium-sized boulder of salt because his crystal ball is not infallible)
I live just outside Montreal, with many large format options, so I'll be going to see "event films" at the cinema when they re-open. But where 30-40 years ago, I could have seen "event films" in my home town in New Hampshire (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, James Bond, etc.), that won't likely be the case in 5 years.
I was just the same until last year when we found out that my wife and I could go some afternoons to a small local cinema and see new movies for £5 each, rather than the £12-£16 I normally pay at a Cineworld or Odeon.
That made seeing new films that really don't benefit in any way from being seen in a cinema, worth going to. Otherwise I'd just wait until they come on TV, Netflix or even not bother. That way we saw, amongst others, 1917 (O.K.) and Little Women (wonderful) which I certainly wouldn't have seen otherwise.
That place will probably close now, so it's back to waiting for them to come on TV. I can live with that, and I'll still go to a proper big screen to see big budget special effects extravaganza's that I fancy.