The arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented situation for the movie industry as it currently exists, drastically limiting how films could be made, marketed, and distributed. While every company tried to adapt in its own unique way, Warner Bros. truly threw down the gauntlet, declaring that not only would they bring their films to streaming, but they would bring their entire 2021 lineup to HBO Max on the same day they hit theaters.
This was, understandably, a huge move that sent shockwaves throughout the industry. While some companies, like Disney, had made some concessions, such as pushing specific films to stream or VOD, nobody had made such a drastic commitment as Warner Bros. Indeed, most seemed content to keep pushing things back, hopeful that they’d be able to squeak into theaters just as the pandemic ended.
Warner Bros. had other plans though, and it would seem that much of them revolved around promoting their streaming service as it attempts to gain a foothold in the streaming wars. While it’s undoubtedly a solid deal for consumers, a lot of studios and filmmakers felt burned by the HBO Max decision, not having been given any input or warning that they would be expected to adapt to this risky new venture.
Those studios can take some comfort in knowing that the HBO Max releases aren’t going to be a hard-line going forward. A recent report from Deadline suggests that once 2022 rolls around, Warner Bros. will be ditching the simultaneous releases and will instead adopt a 45-day theatrical release window for their films. The movie comes as part of a deal with Regal, a theater chain that has some understandable concerns about same-day streaming releases.
As part of this new deal, Regal accepts that Warner Bros. films will have simultaneous HBO Max releases through 2021, but they will then have to pivot to 45 days of theater exclusivity for new releases in 2022. This is shorter than the traditional 90-day windows that once existed, but it is a nice compromise overall for theaters that don’t want to be left behind by the digital age.
Not only that, but Paramount has made a similar arrangement, announcing that their films will come to Paramount Plus after 45 days in theaters. It’s starting to seem like the 45-day window may be the wave of the future for theatrical releases, and the long-term impacts remain to be seen. Regardless, there will certainly be some big box office numbers posted once the pandemic ends and movies start becoming exclusive to theaters yet again.
Source: Deadline
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