It was impossible to escape the news yesterday, it trended all over social media and the internet. It started with Wonder Woman 1984 which Warner Brothers announced that will be released in cinemas and on HBO MAX simultaneously only in the USA. It will be available on in cinemas in the rest of the world. The movie will stay on HBO MAX for a month and then will only be available in cinemas until its official digital release. It made sense, as Wonder Woman 1984 has been delayed for so long that pushing it again just seems to take the steam out of the movie. Plus HBO MAX needs new subscribers now. It seemed like the perfect temporary solution. But it also looks like temporary is here to stay.
It is also clear that since it seems that the pandemic is here to stay with us that a few more movie will go this route, I mean a lot of Warner Brothers movies are scheduled to be released soon. Mortal Kombat is the next movie from Warner Brothers after Wonder Woman 1984 and is scheduled hit cinemas on January 15, 2021. Everyone assumed since we didn't get so much a poster for the movie, that it will be pushed back. But no, we were wrong.
ALL Warner Brothers movie for 2021 will we released both in cinemas and on HBO MAX. The same release strategy for Wonder Woman 1984 will be applied on all movies next year. Yes, all movies in 2021 will be on HBO MAX and in cinemas at the same time in the USA. Mortal Kombat, The Suicide Squad, Tom and Jerry, In the Heights (which I think will be a big Oscar contender next year), Dune (I think they are hoping it will be an Oscar contender), Space Jam 2, The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs. Kong. This is incredible. Are you not going to pay 15 dollars a month to watch these brand new amazing movies at home for no extra cost? Of course you will. If I could I would. This is incredible.
People call it the death of cinema and they could be right. And then you remember that Avengers: Endgame made a billion dollars in one weekend and you realize that they might be wrong. It will change the face of the movie industry forever in my opinion and will officially kill small to medium movies for the big screen that is for sure. But Covid-19 already did the major change. Cinemas are dying because of it. It's just not safe to go to the movies right now and I don't see that changing in 2021.
HBO MAX has one of the lowest number of subscriber of all screaming services. This decision will give them a major boost in the US. The rest of the world is angry. I am. I don't have HBO MAX because I don't live in the US and the cinemas here are closed and have been for the last 10 months. It is annoying. There are no available option. I guess it's time to learn how to use a VPN. Forget the Snyder Cut, this is the game changer for HBO MAX.
I guess the Disney report about the impressive growth of Disney+ really lit the fire under Warner Brothers and HBO MAX. Disney has a special investors presentation coming up on December 10, and you can bet that they have a response waiting for this. I believe it will include Black Widow getting a premier access (30$ extra charge) to watch the movie before it hits cinemas. Will Marvel fans pay it? Absolutely. Disney better think of something because for the first time, I think that they are losing this battle.
It seems to me that US viewer are the big winners here and all the rest of the world just has to wait and watch in cinemas that are either dangerous or closed. Lovely. I am still generally happy because it appears that no more movie are going to get pushed back and we will get to see them. I just don’t know how.
The movie industry is going to look very different in 2021.
What do you think about this move?
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