At the same time as the cinema release: Warner Bros. has new films streamed immediately

Thursday, December 03, 2020

At the same time as the cinema release
Warner Bros. lets new movies stream instantly

New films are shown first in the cinema before they come into the living room via streaming services. At least that's the way it was before. But in the corona pandemic, the movie theaters are losing their exclusive position. Warner Bros plans to stream all new films right away next year.

Because of the Corona crisis, the Hollywood studio Warner Bros. will be offering new films as streaming at the same time as the cinema release in the coming year. Films like "The Matrix 4" and the remake of the science fiction classic "Dune" will then be released on the streaming service HBO Max, as the film studio announced. Warner Bros. and HBO Max are part of entertainment giant WarnerMedia. The films should then be available on HBO Max for a month, then they will initially only be shown in theaters

"We live in unprecedented times that call for creative solutions," said Warner Bros. boss Ann Sarnoff. "Nobody wants movies back on the big screen more than we do. We know that new content is the lifeblood of cinemas, but we have to balance that with the fact that most cinemas in the US are probably just about 2021 operated with limited capacity. "

At least 17 films should run simultaneously in the cinema and as streaming in the coming year, including the "Sopranos" prequel "The Many Saints of Newark" and the superhero film "The Suicide Squad". Warner Bros. (formerly Warner Brothers) had already announced that the film "Wonder Woman 1984" will also be offered as streaming at Christmas at the same time as the cinema release. It was expected, however, that this would remain an exception.

The corona pandemic presented Hollywood studios and cinema chains with huge challenges. Many movie theaters had to close in the meantime. Warner released the highly anticipated action thriller "Tenet" by Christopher Nolan in theaters in the summer, but the box office results were disappointing.