HBO Max is to become the new home of Warner Bros movies - at least for 2021.
The newly launched streaming platform is to have the entire 2021 movie slate of Warner Bros available next year. The production company will have all of their titles released digitally on demand, and in theatres.
What that means for us over here in Ireland remains uncertain. As it currently stands, HBO Max is still only available exclusively in the US, but the service is aiming to roll out to Europe and Latin America in the near future. The service launched in May of this year and has titles such as 'Friends', Ridley Scott's 'Raised By Wolves', and new movie releases such as 'The Witches'.
Recently, it was revealed that Warner Bros' 'Wonder Woman 1984' will be releasing exclusively on the streaming service on December 25. It seems that the deal went that extra bit further since then.
This will now mean that 'The Suicide Squad', 'Dune', 'Space Jam: A New Legacy', and 'The Matrix 4' will all be available on HBO Max next year both on demand and in cinemas. This will no doubt raise questions as to the future of cinema. Will cinemas cease to exist in the future?
Waiting for everything regarding 2020 to blow over, it seems the studio isn't taking any risks. It will be interesting to see what the likes of Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon will think of this news. Could we see more Disney titles headed to their streaming service?
Other Warner Bros titles due for release in the new year include 'The Many Saints of Newark', 'King Richard', 'Tom & Jerry', 'Mortal Kombat', and 'Godzilla vs. Kong'.
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said in a statement: "After considering all available options and the projected state of moviegoing throughout 2021, we came to the conclusion that this was the best way for WarnerMedia’s motion picture business to navigate the next 12 months.
"More importantly, we are planning to bring consumers 17 remarkable movies throughout the year, giving them the choice and the power to decide how they want to enjoy these films."
