Warner Bros. will launch every 2021 movie on HBO Max at the same time they hit theaters - RIP Theatres

[Dom Cruise]

Hollywood is dead BOLLYWOOD IS NOW!

Da doot doot! Da doot doot! Da doot doot do da da da!

 

[Kyria the Great]

Da doot doot! Da doot doot! Da doot doot do da da da!

Shitposting aside, I wonder if the decline of Hollywood will make other foreign grown film industries rise in popularity? I wonder as it will be nice to see more films that don't try to water themselves down for a Worldwide Box Office?

 

[Mr. Zed da Robot Poon Fed]

Looks Like James Gunn And Other Major Directors May Not Be Happy About Movie Release Plan On HBO Max Either

It would appear that Christopher Nolan wasn't the only one who was taken aback by Warner Bros.' decision.

www.cinemablend.com

Directors who now hate this decision now.
James Gunn

• Janes Gunn
  • James Gunn, the mind behind 2021’s The Suicide Squad, was reportedly not pleased with the studio for loading his upcoming superhero film on HBO Max, per The Hollywood Reporter. The trade, which refers to him as “platform agnostic,” reportedly also took issue with the way in which Warner Bros. planned to compensate him and his collaborators for their work.
• John M. Chu
• • One of the other major films slated to hit theaters next year is the feature-film adaptation of In the Heights, which comes from director John M. Cho (of Crazy Rich Asians) and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. According to the trade, Chu took issue with Warner Bros. HBO Max strategy, so much so that studio chairman Toby Emmerich had to “soothe” him by pointing out that the film is still set for a “global theatrical release.”
  
  
• Denis Villeneuve
• • Denis Villeneuve, the director of “Dune,” is similarly disappointed with the HBO Max plan and would prefer a traditional theatrical release for his movie, according to insiders. The “Dune” adaptation is intended to be the first of a two-part retelling of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel. The big-budget sci-fi epic — starring Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya — was initially greenlit with the intention of launching on the big screen. It’s too early to know if the planned sequel would follow the same rollout as the first. Other filmmakers involved in the movie are also privately unhappy with the move.
• Christopher Nolan
  • Christopher Nolan has empathically voiced his disapproval at WB's decision to release all of its 2021 films on HBO Max at the same time that they hit theaters. When asked by ET Online about his reaction to WB's shocking release strategy, Nolan stated, " Oh, I mean, disbelief. Especially the way in which they did. There's such controversy around it, because they didn't tell anyone. In 2021, they've got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they've got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences."
    "They're meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences... And now they're being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service -- for the fledgling streaming service -- without any consultation. So, there's a lot of controversy. It's very, very, very, very messy. A real bait and switch. Yeah, it's sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work."
    In a separate statement to THR, Nolan offered a much harsher take on the decision. "Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service."
    "Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction."
    
    
    

 

[tehpope]

‘Dune’ Director Denis Villeneuve Blasts HBO Max Deal (EXCLUSIVE)

I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their strea…

variety.com

I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service. With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history. There is absolutely no love for cinema, nor for the audience here. It is all about the survival of a telecom mammoth, one that is currently bearing an astronomical debt of more than $150 billion. Therefore, even though “Dune” is about cinema and audiences, AT&T is about its own survival on Wall Street. With HBO Max’s launch a failure thus far, AT&T decided to sacrifice Warner Bros.’ entire 2021 slate in a desperate attempt to grab the audience’s attention.

Warner Bros.’ sudden reversal from being a legacy home for filmmakers to the new era of complete disregard draws a clear line for me. Filmmaking is a collaboration, reliant on the mutual trust of team work and Warner Bros. has declared they are no longer on the same team.

Streaming services are a positive and powerful addition to the movie and TV ecosystems. But I want the audience to understand that streaming alone can’t sustain the film industry as we knew it before COVID. Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of “Dune’s” scope and scale. Warner Bros.’ decision means “Dune” won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the “Dune” franchise. This one is for the fans. AT&T’s John Stankey said that the streaming horse left the barn. In truth, the horse left the barn for the slaughterhouse.

Public safety comes first. Nobody argues with that. Which is why when it became apparent the winter would bring a second wave of the pandemic, I understood and supported the decision to delay “Dune’s” opening by almost a year. The plan was that “Dune” would open in theaters in October 2021, when vaccinations will be advanced and, hopefully, the virus behind us. Science tells us that everything should be back to a new normal next fall.

“Dune” is by far the best movie I’ve ever made. My team and I devoted more than three years of our lives to make it a unique big screen experience. Our movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theaters.

I’m speaking on my own behalf, though I stand in solidarity with the sixteen other filmmakers who now face the same fate. Please know I am with you and that together we are strong. The artists are the ones who create movies and series.

I strongly believe the future of cinema will be on the big screen, no matter what any Wall Street dilettante says. Since the dawn of time, humans have deeply needed communal storytelling experiences. Cinema on the big screen is more than a business, it is an art form that brings people together, celebrating humanity, enhancing our empathy for one another — it’s one of the very last artistic, in-person collective experiences we share as human beings.

Once the pandemic is over, theaters will be filled again with film lovers.

That is my strong belief. Not because the movie industry needs it, but because we humans need cinema, as a collective experience.

So, just as I have both a fiduciary and creative responsibility to fulfill as the filmmaker, I call on AT&T to act swiftly with the same responsibility, respect and regard to protect this vital cultural medium. Economic impact to stakeholders is only one aspect of corporate social responsibility. Finding ways to enhance culture is another. The moviegoing experience is like no other. In those darkened theaters films capture our history, educate us, fuel our imagination and lift and inspire our collective spirit. It is our legacy.

Long live theatrical cinema!

— Denis Villeneuve

Shitposting aside, I wonder if the decline of Hollywood will make other foreign grown film industries rise in popularity? I wonder as it will be nice to see more films that don't try to water themselves down for a Worldwide Box Office?

Maybe. But it'll only be sometime before money talks and changes shit.

 

[Product Placement]

I wonder what this will do with talent, will they now avoid working with WB, they have pissed off a number of people that do get good box office returns which they will need in 2022 and beyond. Guess WB will have to do some killer deals like funding movies no questions asked type of deals.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

Warner Bros.’ decision means “Dune” won’t have the chance to perform financially in order to be viable and piracy will ultimately triumph. Warner Bros. might just have killed the “Dune” franchise.

And that's all this really boils down to. Whiny faggot. I get where he's coming from, but goddamn he's such a sniveler.

 

[Frapton66]

Welp, at least Disney and others will be releasing there films in theaters before streaming, so not much of a loss.

 

[Notgoodwithusernames]

As a temporary fix the strategy works. As the new status quo it’s going to fail.

The exclusive movies Netflix releases are typically low to mid budget affairs. The are high budget films that cost hundreds of millions to make. Subscription service revenue just is not sustainable for high budget films

 

[Face Of A Ghost]

Villeneuve is a big Cinema "Experience" lover. He dosen't make movies with the small screen in mind. A big epic looks way less impressive on an IPhone app. I totally get their frustration.

And that's all this really boils down to. Whiny faggot. I get where he's coming from, but goddamn he's such a sniveler.

No one pays for these streaming services if it's not Netflix, people will pirate the s**t out of it and the whole franchise he built for years is in the ground. I'd be pissed off too. He dosen't sound pretentious to me.

 

[The Last Stand]

The one concern is the abandonment of physical media now that streaming will be the norm now.

However, movie theaters are overpriced, crammed hubs with poor service. No way they would survive COVID. Maybe they could make money by privatizing themselves as a big, private screening party.

But, get a big TV or projecter.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

No one pays for these streaming services if it's not Netflix, people will pirate the s**t out of it and the whole franchise he built for years is in the ground. I'd be pissed off too. He dosen't sound pretentious to me.

I never insinuated he was pretentious, just a whiny faggot, but I do totally understand the frustration that he, a creator who put his all into making a film, has gotten screwed over because of the global pandemic that was beyond his control. He doesn't even know if he's going to see (more of, he's already been paid) the money to hopefully make another movie.

Thing is, though, the piracy claim is funny because those who were going to pirate it were never going to see the movie in theaters/properly anyway, making them no different from the normies who just aren't interested in seeing the movie to begin with, but you don't hear about directors whining about those kinds of empty seats, now do you. He was never going to see those very pirates' money unless some of them are generous enough to buy the physical media later out of support. The biggest issue is how they're going to calculate profit off of streaming services since someone could have HBO Max but then have themselves a party and invite however-many people over to watch it free of charge (note: this isn't piracy). Thirty bucks practically accounts for three or four people who could've bought a ticket for the box office numbers, but not for a private home-viewing movie night consisting of more than three/four people. Physical media sales will at least help account for the budget/marketing costs, but the big bucks are made at the box office.

He's right to be angry at WB for making this decision without talking to the movies' directors/producers, but crying about piracy "winning" isn't it. Studios need to seriously work out how they're going to turn a profit off of streaming for their blockbusters and make up for those movie night parties of non-paying customers.

If Hollywood was so threatened by piracy, they would've stomped out the bootleggers a long time ago or advocated for countries to be more open to foreign films. Maybe that's why they've been trying to cater to China so much, they're trying to stop the Chinese from pirating by coercing them into theaters.

But to be honest, people will be more likely stop pirating movies if Hollywood stops making shitty movies and punishes directors and producers for insulting audiences.

 

[José Mourinho]

I get why people are nostalgic for theatres because of the environment, but on the other hand this has been a long time coming regardless of the virus.

Which would you prefer, watching a movie at your own home which you would be most comfortable with your favorite snacks/food either alone or with friends or family, or watching a movie at the theatre with overpriced snacks (Prices for popcorns in movie theatres are overpriced to make money, go look it up) and trying to handle some annoying people at the theatre in some rare case?

 

[Face Of A Ghost]

I never insinuated he was pretentious, just a whiny faggot, but I do totally understand the frustration that he, a creator who put his all into making a film, has gotten screwed over because of the global pandemic that was beyond his control. He doesn't even know if he's going to see (more of, he's already been paid) the money to hopefully make another movie.

Thing is, though, the piracy claim is funny because those who were going to pirate it were never going to see the movie in theaters/properly anyway, making them no different from the normies who just aren't interested in seeing the movie to begin with, but you don't hear about directors whining about those kinds of empty seats, now do you. He was never going to see those very pirates' money unless some of them are generous enough to buy the physical media later out of support. The biggest issue is how they're going to calculate profit off of streaming services since someone could have HBO Max but then have themselves a party and invite however-many people over to watch it free of charge (note: this isn't piracy). Thirty bucks practically accounts for three or four people who could've bought a ticket for the box office numbers, but not for a private home-viewing movie night consisting of more than three/four people. Physical media sales will at least help account for the budget/marketing costs, but the big bucks are made at the box office.

He's right to be angry at WB for making this decision without talking to the movies' directors/producers, but crying about piracy "winning" isn't it. Studios need to seriously work out how they're going to turn a profit off of streaming for their blockbusters and make up for those movie night parties of non-paying customers.

Well that was a good response.
Anyway those "movie nights" no one that is not a like family can do it these days and they were already doing it before so it's a tiny fraction. Few people will have watch parties online but these things aren't an issue.
But yeah for sure when a movie is day 1 on the internet piracy will go up but maybe not as bad as he claims maybe you're right.
He's probably right that AT&T is trying to do a marketing stunt for their streaming service tho but yeah maybe the piracy claims that are old as day aren't that concerning i don't know.
I was close to a video game studio for a job once and they keep tab on this and it's very insane how many games are stolen every day I kinda started to feel bad about piracy during that time.

 

[Kari Kamiya]

I was close to a video game studio for a job once and they keep tab on this and it's very insane how many games are stolen every day I kinda started to feel bad about piracy during that time.

I think that's like a big difference there, video game developers have much more to lose to piracy since video games are much more niche than movies. Like you'd have to be hard-pressed to find someone who's not Amish who absolutely doesn't watch movies, but you might know a good percentage of people in your life who don't play video games. Like with the box office, they project how many units they'll be selling, and if it underperforms, they lose money. But unlike with movie-goers, gamers are so much more vocal when it comes to video games, whether it's good or bad, and word-of-mouth spreads fast. That kind of reception keeps developers on their toes (unless they're really big and can afford to cut their losses).

Video games have gotten rather creative with their anti-piracy measures, though. They can totally fuck over the pirates just through the gameplay alone to punish them, although I don't think they always balance it out with encouraging potential customers to support them. But it's much easier for video game developers to do that since it can be programmed to detect illegal downloads and such. Think even the consoles themselves have it implemented to check for unauthorized cartridges based off the stories I hear about Earthbound's anti-piracy.

If filmmakers could find a way to do anti-piracy measures in their own movies where it gives a shit ending or breaks the fourth wall or something if it was illegally downloaded or ripped onto an empty disc, that'd be hilarious but also impressive at the same time. Unfortunately, movies are much more straightforward than video games, even after jumping from actual film to digital. Best they can do is put on that FBI warning when you pop it in, but you don't hear about the FBI raiding homes of pirates since the majority of them seem to be foreigners at this point. The beauty of globalism, I guess.

 

[Face Of A Ghost]

I think that's like a big difference there, video game developers have much more to lose to piracy since video games are much more niche than movies. Like you'd have to be hard-pressed to find someone who's not Amish who absolutely doesn't watch movies, but you might know a good percentage of people in your life who don't play video games. Like with the box office, they project how many units they'll be selling, and if it underperforms, they lose money. But unlike with movie-goers, gamers are so much more vocal when it comes to video games, whether it's good or bad, and word-of-mouth spreads fast. That kind of reception keeps developers on their toes (unless they're really big and can afford to cut their losses).

Video games have gotten rather creative with their anti-piracy measures, though. They can totally fuck over the pirates just through the gameplay alone to punish them, although I don't think they always balance it out with encouraging potential customers to support them. But it's much easier for video game developers to do that since it can be programmed to detect illegal downloads and such. Think even the consoles themselves have it implemented to check for unauthorized cartridges based off the stories I hear about Earthbound's anti-piracy.

If filmmakers could find a way to do anti-piracy measures in their own movies where it gives a shit ending or breaks the fourth wall or something if it was illegally downloaded or ripped onto an empty disc, that'd be hilarious but also impressive at the same time. Unfortunately, movies are much more straightforward than video games, even after jumping from actual film to digital. Best they can do is put on that FBI warning when you pop it in, but you don't hear about the FBI raiding homes of pirates since the majority of them seem to be foreigners at this point. The beauty of globalism, I guess.

I just imagine Ironman RDJ stopping in the middle of the movie look right at the screen " Hey asshole did you just fucking steal this movie" lmao.
I checked the HBO Lineup and at least it seems to be all blockbuster movies so indie people don't get fucked over i guess. niche argument makes sense.

 

[biscuitscilia]

I get why people are nostalgic for theatres because of the environment, but on the other hand this has been a long time coming regardless of the virus.

Which would you prefer, watching a movie at your own home which you would be most comfortable with your favorite snacks/food either alone or with friends or family, or watching a movie at the theatre with overpriced snacks (Prices for popcorns in movie theatres are overpriced to make money, go look it up) and trying to handle some annoying people at the theatre in some rare case?

The convenience is also another step up, you don't need to waste gas to go watch one movie for 20 bucks when you can just watch whatever you want in a few clicks.
But if there's anything I'm hoping will happen with the transition from theaters to streaming, is that it decentralizes the film industry so more people can get a shot to make their movies without having to go through Hollywood and their various, abusive agencies. Hollywood has an iron grip on who can get in and do what. They've been policing people's actions since the 50s and it's only getting worse from here so the best thing that could happen is for streaming to break that grip and allow for greater creative, and personal freedom for directors, actors, writers, etc.

 

[Rainbow Frog Army]

Thing is, though, the piracy claim is funny because those who were going to pirate it were never going to see the movie in theaters/properly anyway, making them no different from the normies who just aren't interested in seeing the movie to begin with, but you don't hear about directors whining about those kinds of empty seats, now do you. He was never going to see those very pirates' money unless some of them are generous enough to buy the physical media later out of support. The biggest issue is how they're going to calculate profit off of streaming services since someone could have HBO Max but then have themselves a party and invite however-many people over to watch it free of charge (note: this isn't piracy). Thirty bucks practically accounts for three or four people who could've bought a ticket for the box office numbers, but not for a private home-viewing movie night consisting of more than three/four people. Physical media sales will at least help account for the budget/marketing costs, but the big bucks are made at the box office.

He's right to be angry at WB for making this decision without talking to the movies' directors/producers, but crying about piracy "winning" isn't it. Studios need to seriously work out how they're going to turn a profit off of streaming for their blockbusters and make up for those movie night parties of non-paying customers.

If Hollywood was so threatened by piracy, they would've stomped out the bootleggers a long time ago or advocated for countries to be more open to foreign films. Maybe that's why they've been trying to cater to China so much, they're trying to stop the Chinese from pirating by coercing them into theaters.

But to be honest, people will be more likely stop pirating movies if Hollywood stops making shitty movies and punishes directors and producers for insulting audiences.

While this is true, I'm kind of amused because we're around a month or so later, and the reason why it's not a given that the people who'll take to the high seas if it's dumped on streaming would have given it a hard pass in theaters--because it's not just directors and producers insulting audiences that's a problem, it's having any tolerance for that on any level that is the problem.

If people up at the board level see nothing wrong with insulting audiences, it's sending a very clear message to everybody under them that this is acceptable behavior. This can--and, as recent events have demonstrated (HBO Max, Disney+, and the older fun with Netflix and Cuties)--result in driving the audience away from the streaming service itself.

It also doesn't help that the transparency for streaming numbers is not good for anybody with an interest in what the content is. With theaters and physical media, you knew where you were standing and what could be done to show studios that there was a market for something. Streaming doesn't share useful numbers for that kind of purpose, as "# of minutes watched" is only useful for executives needing to polish their egos & journalists needing to lube up prior to servicing executives' egos. After all, "120,000 minutes watched" doesn't really distinguish between "1,000 people watched a 120 movie from start to end" and "~24,000 people watched ~5 minutes before NOPING away," and there is a significant difference between the two. It also cripples any ability for audiences to send clear and definite signals of their displeasure with, say, director Leaky Anus deciding to just take a huge dump on everybody who isn't part of their socioeconomic group...especially when the company's also moving towards getting rid of the physical media option in the (delusional) hope that if they make streaming the sole option, that'll drive up the subscriber numbers so they can brag about that to the stockholders.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

But to be honest, people will be more likely stop pirating movies if Hollywood stops making shitty movies and punishes directors and producers for insulting audiences.

But if there's anything I'm hoping will happen with the transition from theaters to streaming, is that it decentralizes the film industry so more people can get a shot to make their movies without having to go through Hollywood and their various, abusive agencies. Hollywood has an iron grip on who can get in and do what. They've been policing people's actions since the 50s and it's only getting worse from here so the best thing that could happen is for streaming to break that grip and allow for greater creative, and personal freedom for directors, actors, writers, etc.

>implying that Hollywood doesn't control the streaming services already

Why do you think everybody and their mother has a streaming service now, hmmmm?

 

[Vining]

I fucking hate what these lockdowns have done to us all, it ruined the decade right out the gate.

Even its potential to level the playing field in the entertainment culture war has been sabotaged thanks to streaming media becoming so hyper-consolidated and this push from Disney and Warner to stamp out physical media.

Support physical media as much as possible and oppose streaming/sail the high seas. Embrace your inner Boomer and kill that Millennial/Zoomer mentality within you. It's the only way to salvage this shitshow of a decade and even then, it's an astronomical longshot

How can a movie bomb if it's direct-to-streaming? At this point, shit like the MCU will last forever and "Get Woke, Go Broke" will be rendered fully irrelevant instead of only partially irrelevant

Is there any way we can get an organic social media pushback against this shit without it being stamped out right out the gate?

So shall we stockpile DVDs?

 

[biscuitscilia]

Why do you think everybody and their mother has a streaming service now, hmmmm?

It's true that they're trying to get a slice of the streaming market each but I don't think they're all going to last and eventually they're going to need third party services like Netflix to ensure their content actually reaches an audience. I think there are other options now outside of Hollywood that you can self-publish and finance your own films. And honestly, decisions like HBOMax releasing their films on their own service already circumvents and screws over established institutions like agencies. I don't think the studios are going to disappear but I do feel that eventually, you won't need to go through Hollywood to produce and release a movie and have it be seen.