Warner Sending Entire 2021 Slate to HBO Max and Theaters.

[Lee A Stewart]

Hollywood, Theater Owners Sound Off on Warner Bros.’ Bold HBO Max Move: ‘They’re Playing With Fire’

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/h...rs-1234846103/

[Lee A Stewart]

Why WarnerMedia’s Blockbuster HBO Max Play May Not Boost Its Leverage in Roku Talks

https://variety.com/2020/digital/new...ng-1234846259/

[hudson4k]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Hollywood, Theater Owners Sound Off on Warner Bros.’ Bold HBO Max Move: ‘They’re Playing With Fire’

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/h...rs-1234846103/

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Why WarnerMedia’s Blockbuster HBO Max Play May Not Boost Its Leverage in Roku Talks

https://variety.com/2020/digital/new...ng-1234846259/

How is this not spam? Just articles with no context or explanation, not even a quote?

[Chedwiggen]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Hollywood, Theater Owners Sound Off on Warner Bros.’ Bold HBO Max Move: ‘They’re Playing With Fire’

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/h...rs-1234846103/

Maybe they should quit complaining about WB and start complaining to their state government who keep shutting them down.

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by Chedwiggen

Maybe they should quit complaining about WB and start complaining to their state government who keep shutting them down.

Even theaters are open and don't get the traffic they anticipated.

If people aren't willing to go, and companies don't want to release their blockbusters during this time, not much the government can be blamed for.

They can open everything up right now, and the movies aren't going to magically return to normal

[xbs2034]

https://deadline.com/2020/12/att-joh...ws-1234650649/

Sounds to me like this will be WB’s plan going forward, and the one year “experiment” is just to save face in case it flops (personally even if streaming is the focus going forward, I wish they would follow the Netflix model and give 3 weeks to a month theatrical exclusivity to their biggest films rather than same day):

“I think movie theaters continue to have a role moving forward in society,” he said. “They’re an experience for the right kind of content that people are going to want to continue to have. But look, storytelling on scripted content is getting better and better and better. The experience of watching that content at home in comfortable surroundings, with large screens, and having the convenience of watching it when you want to watch it is getting better and better. So, there’s no question that we’re going to see consumer behavior shifts and those are going to sustain themselves.
Despite gloomy pronouncements after the news broke, though, “I don’t believe that yesterday was the day that was the end,” Stankey said. “I just think it’s another day in a string of data points that’s heading in particular directions.”
Ignatius asked if the previous business approaches would resume once theaters reopen and the pandemic recedes, or whether customers would expect all new films to stream day-and-date. “In March, we unleashed a new normal in society,” he said. “That horse left the barn. I don’t think any of us are going to change that dynamic.”

[captveg]

Originally Posted by mwynn

Paramount will probably merge with CBS All Access to keep that afloat.

They already did. CBS All Access rebrands as Paramount+ in January.

[JayTL]

I don't think anyone believes WB will stop this after a year.

I'm just surprised they announced this before WW released. They must be happy with sign-ups and disappointed in ticket sales.

Maybe AT&T will add HBO Max sales goals to AT&T instead of DirecTV lol

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by JayTL

Well back then, they didn't have massive blockbusters

Yes they did. Even with CGi and $250m budgets, modern films can't compete with the sheer scale or number of tickets sold of the blockbuster of the silent era through to Star Wars. Inflation adjusted, no film from the 21st Century makes the inflation adjusted domestic all time top ten and only 12 make it into the next 40.

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Yes they did. Even with CGi and $250m budgets, modern films can't compete with the sheer scale or number of tickets sold of the blockbuster of the silent era through to Star Wars. Inflation adjusted, no film from the 21st Century makes the inflation adjusted domestic all time top ten and only 12 make it into the next 40.

Because back then, there was no competition. Nothing on TV, no streaming, etc. Gone with the Wind was in theaters for 2 years! Sound of Music almost 3!! And people would see it multiple times, because when it left theaters, there was no other way to watch it again. And in that time, people probably thought that that was literally the last time they'd be able to watch it ever.

Theatrical presence has been dwindling because people don't care for the experience. 5 years ago, it was a 6 month wait to get it and watch it at home. More and more people preferred to do it that way. People will wait 3 months to just watch at home...and now they don't have to wait at all?


This is nothing like the examples listed before, because theaters survived the Spanish Flu or WW2 because they couldn't get the same movie at home.

[Rodney-2187]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Yes they did. Even with CGi and $250m budgets, modern films can't compete with the sheer scale or number of tickets sold of the blockbuster of the silent era through to Star Wars. Inflation adjusted, no film from the 21st Century makes the inflation adjusted domestic all time top ten and only 12 make it into the next 40.

Do you have a link to that list?

[UniSol GR77]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Just create your own alternate timeline.

YES! One without the virus, where CreasyBear is the Warner director. LOL

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by Rodney-2187

Do you have a link to that list?

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/chart/...ref_=bo_cso_ac

Only one movie in the top 10 for less than a year (Jaws)

[slumcat]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

I'll call BS on that one:

S2E1: 52 minutes
S2E2: 40 minutes
S2E3: 35 minutes
S2E4: 37 minutes
S2E5: 45 minutes
S2E6: 32 minutes

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11150494/?ref_=tt_ep_pr

Chill dude. It was a surmise. You could have just said - it's actually more than 32 mins or something.

Anyways, happy to be corrected.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by UniSol GR77

YES! One without the virus, where CreasyBear is the Warner director. LOL

Zack Snyder and Denis Villeneuve direct...EVERYTHING!

[UniSol GR77]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Zack Snyder and Denis Villeneuve direct...EVERYTHING!

It's a Snydercalypse!!!!!!!!!

[EvaDK]

Dreadful decision.
Warner is going to lose a fortune from this and I reckon we can forget about Dune Part II.

[Lee A Stewart]

HBO Max will replace existing HBO services in Europe in 2021

HBO Max is coming to Europe and Latin America in the second half of 2021 where it will supplant existing HBO streaming services, with double the amount of content and presumably 4K HDR support.

https://www.flatpanelshd.com/news.ph...&id=1607078933

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by JayTL

Because back then, there was no competition.

Yes there was - radio and TV had massive audiences, hence the adoption of sound, color and widescreen to compete. When 44 million viewers tuned into I Love Lucy or 60 million tuned in to Elvis on Ed Sullivan that was a bigger audience in one night than some studios entire slates did in a year

Gone with the Wind was in theaters for 2 years!

At a limited number of premium price screens: it didn't get a wide general release until 1941. Ditto most roadshow blockbusters before release patterns changed in the 70s. Rollouts were slower, fewer prints were struck and most theaters changed their program three times a week.

when it left theaters, there was no other way to watch it again. And in that time, people probably thought that that was literally the last time they'd be able to watch it ever.

If you discount regular TV screenings of 16mm or, if you had the money, buying it on 8mm....

This is nothing like the examples listed before, because theaters survived the Spanish Flu or WW2 because they couldn't get the same movie at home.

It's everything like those examples because moviegoing has repeatedly survived pandemics, world wars and new media (and streaming is basically just pay TV with a more flexible delivery system - and lets not forget no streamer is profitable yet, with Netflix operating on a massive and ever increasing debt). The death of moviegoing has been predicted with regularity for two thirds of is lifetime (before that it was regardedas an it'll-never-last sideshow novelty with ideas above its station) yet for studios it remains the single biggest source of revenue for most substantial budget films.

People being able to affordably own their own copies of movies at home for 40 years - it's not the recent development you make out - or watch them on TV for 70 years didn't change that.

[JayTL]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Yes there was - radio and TV had massive audiences, hence the adoption of sound, color and widescreen to compete.



At a limited number of premium price screens: it didn't get a wide general release until 1941. Ditto most roadshow blockbusters before release patterns changed in the 70s. Rollouts were slower, fewer prints were struck and most theatres changed their program three times a week.

[qoute]when it left theaters, there was no other way to watch it again. And in that time, people probably thought that that was literally the last time they'd be able to watch it ever.

If you discount regular TV screenings of 16mm or, if you had the money, buying it on 8mm....



It's everything like those examples because moviegoing has repeatedly survived pandemics, world wars and new media (and streaming is basically just pay TV with a more flexible delivery system - and lets not forget no streamer is profitable yet, with Netflix operating on a massive and ever increasing debt). The death of moviegoing has been predicted with regularity for two thirds of is lifetime (before that it was regardedas an it'll-never-last sideshow novelty with ideas above its station) yet for studios it remains the single biggest source of revenue for most substantial budget films.

People being able to affordably own their own copies of movies at home for 40 years - it's not the recent development you make out - or watch them on TV for 70 years didn't change that.[/QUOTE]

Theaters main issue isn't the pandemic.

In your own words, movie going was much more popular 20+ years ago

no film from the 21st Century makes the inflation adjusted domestic all time top ten and only 12 make it into the next 40.

That's not a Covid problem. That's a systematic issue with the theatrical experience. To many people, it's not worth going anymore.

But none of this is new. Only the day-in-date streaming is new.