The recent announcement from Warner Bros., that the studio would be releasing every one of its 2021 theatrical films directly on HBO Max on the same date they open in theaters, sent shockwaves through the industry.
This is, at least in part, because the decision to release movies on HBO Max will have a negative financial impact on a lot of people outside of WB.
While it will make the movies more accessible to those that can’t or won’t go to theaters, and is likely to significantly boost subscriptions for HBO Max, the move has seen its share of detractors, including Dune director Denis Villeneuve and it’s production company Legendary, which may actually sue WB over all this.
It was an incredibly aggressive move that no other studio has come close to matching.