HBO Max is about to get a lot more crowded in the near future with new content.
This is because Warner Bros., which is the second-largest movie studio in the world, declared it would distribute all of its upcoming movies in 2021 on HBO Max on the same day the movies are also hitting theaters.Â
This might be the biggest domino in a huge shift in the movie industry, which is undergoing massive changes in distribution partially due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The emergence of streaming services certainly predates the pandemic, but many people are now opting to stay at home and watch movies on HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and many more.
WarnerMedia is the parent company of both HBO and Warner Bros. and is thus responsible for this crucial decision.
Movies that are part of this announcement that will hit HBO Max in 2021 include:
Wonder Woman 1984 – December 25
Mortal Kombat – January 15
Tom and Jerry – March 5
Godzilla Vs. Kong – May 21
In the Heights – June 18
Space Jam: A New Legacy – July 16
The Suicide Squad – August 6
Dune – October 1
The Matrix 4 – December 22
Judas and the Black Messiah – TBA
In addition to the pandemic, there are more high quality television sets available on the market at an increasingly cheaper cost tthan ever before.
Many folks are just now getting 4K streaming capability as well as faster Internet, and the move towards streaming videos is already preferred by many to physical releases.
Indeed, many people wouldn’t be able to play Blu-ray even if they wanted to do so.
This announcement could have a pretty immediate effect on the industry and movie theaters as a whole.
Warner Bros. is the first to go all-in on this new strategy and it might be just a short matter of time before more key studios are to follow.
WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff explained, “No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021.”
Both Disney and Universal Studios have tested out releases only on streaming services with Mulan and Trolls: World Tour, among other titles.
These titles cost an additional amount of money not included already in the subscription cost of the service, however, unlike what will happen on HBO Max moving forward. Â
