Los Angeles: Ann Sarnoff, the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros, has defended the studio’s new hybrid distribution model, under which the company will release its films both theatrically and on streamer HBO Max. Last week, Warner Bros had announced that its entire slate of films for the year 2021 will premiere both in theatres and on HBO Max. Among the films that are set to be available both theatrically and on HBO Max are big-budget tentpoles such as Denis Villeneuve”s “Dune”, “The Suicide Squad”, monster movie “Godzilla vs Kong”, and Keanu Reeves-starrer “The Matrix 4”.
Talking to CNBC, Sarnoff said the new release model is a response to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We’ve been trying to figure out the best way forward for the last eight months since we first went into lockdown with all our movies and television shows…
“So we thought this was the most kind of creative and win/win situation to bring them out not only in theatres, but simultaneously for 31 days on HBO Max so that people who don’t have access to theatres in the US are able to see the movies and we’re able to market them more fully because we’re marketing on multiple distribution platforms,” she said. Sarnoff’s statement came a day after filmmaker Christopher Nolan, whose latest film was released by the Warner Bros, slammed the studio for the new plan.
The Warner Bros executive said when the studio released “Tenet” in the US in September, they realised that the movie’s performance was quite different from how it was received overseas. The movie raked in USD 60 millions, while in international markets, it earned over USD 300 million. “The theatre were more open, more people went to them. It was really a little bit more like normal but what we’ve learned through ‘Tenet’ is the US is not quite ready yet to, to fully reopen and have full engagement of fans back into theatres, hence this new strategy. “So, we’ll look at a theatrical box office as well as how many people watch the movies on HBO Max, of course,” Sarnoff said.
She also said that the hybrid release model is only meant for the year 2021. “It’s a 2021 strategy and will as the year goes on, we’ll revisit and work with the theatres and work with our talent and agents and see how 2022 is shaping up,” Sarnoff added.
The studio’s announcement came weeks days after it decided that Gal Gadot-starrer “Wonder Woman 1984”, a sequel to 2017 blockbuster “Wonder Woman”, will debut on HBO Max as well as movie theatres on Christmas. Like “Wonder Woman 1984”, the 17 films that Warner Bros plans to release in 2021 will be available to HBO Max subscribers for 31 days. After the one-month mark, the films will only play in theatres.
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