Warners to release entire 2021 slate to HBO Max

[Kai "the spy"]

The Disney+ model actually serves to generate income for those filmmakers with backend deals. And again, it's not about some movies as has been done on other services, it's about ALL the movies of the whole year, and without consulting anybody beforehand. When they did the deal with Patty Jenkins for WW84, they paid her a one-time fee based on how much she would have made through her backend deal had the movie made a billion at the box office, and she would have had the option to say no. There were no negotiations with, or even notice to, the creators of all those other films. Which is why all the directors, actors, unions, and agencies are so publicly pissed.

As Nolan, Jenkins, and others have noted, WB used to be famous for how well they treat the people they work with, and how this move will make a lot of those people hesitant to work with them again.

 

[JD]

Yeah, not talking to the people responsible for the movies beforehand was a complete and total shit movie on WB's part. I have to wonder how many of them would have gone for it if they had been willing to work out some kind of deals, like they did for WW84, before the announcement dropped.

 

[Ovation]

I suspect (just a gut feeling here) that WB have been taking marching orders from AT&T on this issue. This is a drastic change in attitude for a studio that has had a reputation of working well with its creative talent (at least as far as I can tell as a casual observer--I researched such things over 20 years ago for my master's thesis about film, but I've not kept up in any major way since then).

 

[arch101]

Anyone see how AMC is "threatening" to undercharge for WB movies so WB will make nothing on their films? HAH- Like anyone will be clamoring to get into theaters any time soon. Heck, CDC just said today that, with a number of mutations, the vaccine might not even work. Talk about an empty threat! If those dissenting filmmakers ever want their stuff see the light of day, it's looking more and more like it's streaming or nothing.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Anyone see how AMC is "threatening" to undercharge for WB movies so WB will make nothing on their films? HAH- Like anyone will be clamoring to get into theaters any time soon. Heck, CDC just said today that, with a number of mutations, the vaccine might not even work. Talk about an empty threat! If those dissenting filmmakers ever want their stuff see the light of day, it's looking more and more like it's streaming or nothing.

AMC has no leverage. WB does, backed with adapting to favorable viewing conditions, and audience members not wanting to end up...er...dead, because they just had to see a film in a theatre. Times were on an unavoidable path to change regarding the future of theatres--its just happening faster than anyone imagined.

 

[Caretaker]

If they don’t release the movies, they make no money - so they need to be released sometime. And not releasing them means a backlog of movies once theaters reopen - and risks cannibalizing oneself by putting out too many films by the same studio in a short period.

But Warner has handled this poorly. I’d be willing to pay more for film ala Mulan if they limit themselves to one film per month.

 

[JD]

Warner Bros. appears to be working on new deals with the people involved with the movies that they are releasing on HBO Max.
They will get payment regardless of the box-office performance, they will get money from the on-demand and streaming sales, and the profit participants will get paid out of the fee HBO Max pays for the movies.

 

[StCoop]

Given how pathetically badly vaccination rollout is going in the US (and lots of other countries too) they could end up being proved right after all.

For example, does anyone think that No Time To Die's coming out in April?

 

[crookeddy]

Given how pathetically badly vaccination rollout is going in the US (and lots of other countries too) they could end up being proved right after all.

For example, does anyone think that No Time To Die's coming out in April?

On Demand for $20? Maybe...

 

[FreezeC77]

Given how pathetically badly vaccination rollout is going in the US (and lots of other countries too) they could end up being proved right after all.

For example, does anyone think that No Time To Die's coming out in April?

I doubt Fast and Furious 9 comes out Memorial Day this year

 

[StCoop]

And there goes the first domino...

https://deadline.com/2021/01/sony-marvel-movie-morbius-moves-to-the-fall-1234671526/

 

[Samurai8472]

Expected but sad to see since he made so much profit for WB

https://www.wsj.com/articles/want-t...eaming-have-changed-all-the-rules-11611247554

After spending years as a top Warner Bros. director, Christopher Nolan, who wrote and directed last year’s “Tenet,” is unlikely to return to the studio with his next project, in part because he was disappointed with the studio’s hybrid distribution strategy for 2021, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

[JD]

Yeah, losing such a high profile name is definitely going to hurt, then there's also the controversy are JK Rowling possibly hurting future Wizarding World project. That pretty much leaves DC as their biggest guaranteed money maker at this point.

 

[Skywalker]

Good for Nolan. Warner deserve to lose top talent like him for their boneheadedness.

 

[maneth]

Good for Nolan. Warner deserve to lose top talent like him for their boneheadedness.

There are a few Nolan movies I like, notably the Batman trilogy, Inception, The Prestige, Interstellar and Dunkirk, but especially the last two were far too loud. I'd much rather watch any future Nolan movies on our 100 in projector screen and 7.1 sound system, where I can adjust the volume...

 

[crookeddy]

There are a few Nolan movies I like, notably the Batman trilogy, Inception, The Prestige, Interstellar and Dunkirk, but especially the last two were far too loud. I'd much rather watch any future Nolan movies on our 100 in projector screen and 7.1 sound system, where I can adjust the volume...

Smooth and sneaky flex.

 

[StCoop]

Good for Nolan. Warner deserve to lose top talent like him for their boneheadedness.

Given that no big releases scheduled for the 1st half of this year are going to happen (the few left on the schedule after this week will inevitably move as well) they were clearly the only studio willing to face up to reality.

Nolan's a sad old dinosaur who thought he was going to be hailed as the saviour of cinema. Who needs him.

 

[The Wormhole]

Given that no big releases scheduled for the 1st half of this year are going to happen (the few left on the schedule after this week will inevitably move as well) they were clearly the only studio willing to face up to reality.

Even if we agree with that assessment, they still went about it the wrong way, by not consulting with any of the directors before hand. Even if other studios finally decide to just bite the bullet and stream all their major releases, they certainly aren't going to do so without the consent of the movies directors after this.

And Nolan is the wrong guy for a studio to piss off. His movies are guaranteed moneymakers, even Tenet did well enough for a theatrical run amidst a global pandemic. And he commands the loyalty of many big name actors in Hollywood.

 

[theenglish]

I agree. I think this was the right decision for the studio, but they went about it the wrong way. I also think Nolan was an ass for the way he pushed the theatrical release for Tenet despite the health warnings--and I wish he regretted that decision as it would at least demonstrate he has some humanity and empathy. However, he is right to be angry if he wasn't at least given a warning about WB's decision.

 

[JD]

Completely agree, it was the right way to go about the releases, but not telling any of the people involved with the movies was a shitty move. It's not just the directors, they were also potentially screwing at least the actors out of some potentially pretty big back end deal money.