Warner Sending Entire 2021 Slate to HBO Max and Theaters.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by craigbarr2003

That's only in the press release. AT&T is currently planning to launch HBO Max in other global markets during the 2021 calendar year. How many remains to be seen, but expect to see it in some other large international markets before DUNE is scheduled for release in October.

Possibly. If the pandemic is mostly over by summer and theaters are roaring back I doubt they send Dune to the international equivalent of HBO Max. The $$$ of the international box office would be too appealing if things are normalized.

[craigbarr2003]

Originally Posted by captveg

Possibly. If the pandemic is mostly over by summer and theaters are roaring back I doubt they send Dune to the international equivalent of HBO Max. The $$$ of the international box office would be too appealing if things are normalized.

I would agree if that were Emmerich's and Warner Bros film's decision. But it's not. It's AT&T's decision and they are fully committed to try to turn HBO Max into a viable Netflix alternative. They're the ones ordering the sacrifice and film losses for the streaming divisions gains. It's also why they didn't consult with any of the participants or their reps outside of WW1984. AT&T wants this. It needs it.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by captveg

There is no way WB is ever allowing this film to be sold to another entity. Not when they have distribution locked in on the three previous films in the series. That package is worth far more as a whole set of four films than as 3/4ths of a set.

That may be their intention, but they don't have a controlling interest in any of the films, so by acting unilaterally and allegedly not informing them - after telling Legendary that they would put in a better bid (presumably they have matching rights) - they've shot themselves in the foot if it does go to court.

More than likely WB will buy out Legendary's shortcomings if it comes to that so that Legendary gets exactly what they would have from a Netflix sale, but no more.

If they'd done that before the announcement they could easily have got away with that, but by going ahead as if Legendary had no say in the matter they'll have to up the ante now, especially since they'll want it for the international rollout of HBO Max as well (and HBO Max is a tough sell internationally suince they tend to sell their shows to foreign channels rather than operate services themselves, limiting their footprint and making them more reliant on big hitter properties to create awareness).

Like I said, it's the clumsy way they handled the announcement that is going to cause them expensive problems that could easily be avoided. The decision may have been inevitable, but the lack of tact and diplomacy was entirely avoidable.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by craigbarr2003

I would agree if that were Emmerich's and Warner Bros film's decision. But it's not. It's AT&T's decision and they are fully committed to try to turn HBO Max into a viable Netflix alternative. They're the ones ordering the sacrifice and film losses for the streaming divisions gains. It's also why they didn't consult with any of the participants or their reps outside of WW1984. AT&T wants this. It needs it.

AT&T would never - NEVER - be doing this if the American public wasn't scared shitless to go to a movie theater for the next YEAR OR TWO because of the pandemic. Theater attendance is looking to be anemic for a long, long time to come. Perhaps years and years after the pandemic is over. They're throwing these films a bone to actually make SOME box office returns before 2023.

US movie theaters are dead for the foreseeable future. Even post-vaccine very few will be going for a long time.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Aclea

That may be their intention, but they don't have a controlling interest in any of the films, so by acting unilaterally and allegedly not informing them - after telling Legendary that they would put in a better bid (presumably they have matching rights) - they've shot themselves in the foot if it does go to court.

This is never going to court. The lawyers will figure it out long before that.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by craigbarr2003

I would agree if that were Emmerich's and Warner Bros film's decision. But it's not. It's AT&T's decision and they are fully committed to try to turn HBO Max into a viable Netflix alternative. They're the ones ordering the sacrifice and film losses for the streaming divisions gains. It's also why they didn't consult with any of the participants or their reps outside of WW1984. AT&T wants this. It needs it.

It does sound like this was a "Do it now" and damn the consequences edict by AT&T. Considering how long they took to come to the WW84 deal it's hard to imagine anybody on the ground thinking they could just impose it without consequences for the film division.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by captveg

This is never going to court. The lawyers will figure it out long before that.

Indeed - but it won't go in Warners favor. It was something that was easily avoidable, but there's no way this is not going to cost them more money (and legal costs) than if they'd just picked up the phone a couple of weeks ago.

As I wrote in the GvK thread earlier, Warners and Legendary have hated each other - really, really hated each other - for years, and even though Thomas Tull was shown the door after similarly fouling up their relationship with Universal in much less time, after the failure of GKOTM I'm guessing Warners just don't give a shit about any ongoing relationship even if things have become a bit less toxic before this (the Monsterverse was just the last frayed outstanding strand of their previous deal rather than a new dawn) and figure they'll just get the lawyers together and -

Let Them Fight HD - YouTube

It's hard to see the move as anything but a "***k you" from Warners to Legendary/Wanda. But if they really tried to do this without informing them, it's a bit like poking a shark with a stick before making sure it's dead.

[xbs2034]

Originally Posted by Britnasty

There’s no way in hell WB didn’t sit down with their 200 lawyers on staff and comb through all their contracts to make sure this was legal. They’re not stupid.

https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/b...dia/25fox.html

Remember when WB went ahead with producing Watchmen despite Fox still having rights to a movie based on the property, and WB lost the court case (I believe they settlement they later came to was very favorable to Fox as otherwise WB couldn’t have released the movie). One assumes major corporations would be responsible verifying and even double and triple checking all the details on huge deals worth many millions, but I’ve seen that isn’t always the case.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Aclea

Indeed - but it won't go in Warners favor. It was something that was easily avoidable, but there's no way this is not going to cost them more money (and legal costs) than if they'd just picked up the phone a couple of weeks ago.

They probably figure the money to be earned by the HBO Max boost, along with the money saved by not continuing the bank interest rates on these films, are worth the extra cost to satisfy Legendary when the dust settles. They want the subscriptions that come from WW84 to continue through the next year at a time when all the surveys indicate people are going to stay home for a long while still, well into 2021.

I wouldn't be surprised if part of the settlement with Legendary is to have a much lower threshold on what Dune needs to achieve to greenlight the sequel, with WB taking on more of the production budget financing.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by xbs2034

Remember when WB went ahead with producing Watchmen despite Fox still having rights to a movie based on the property, and WB lost the court case (I believe they settlement they later came to was very favorable to Fox as otherwise WB couldn’t have released the movie). One assumes major corporations would be responsible verifying and even double and triple checking all the details on huge deals worth many millions, but I’ve seen that isn’t always the case.

The thing that sends up a huge flare on this one is the complete lack of any statement from Legendary at the time. When the WW84 news dropped Jenkins and Gadot were on social media explaining the decision and supporting it, and if Legendary had been part of discussions you can bet they would have had a press release (reluctant decision but the right one, difficult and unprecedented times, new step forward in our partnership with Warner Bros., etc) ready to send out the very minute the story broke. Instead it's been no comment. But if Warners didn't contact them before the decision, you can bet the phone's been ringing off the hook since.

[Levon]

Originally Posted by captveg

This is never going to court. The lawyers will figure it out long before that.

Ooh, a soothsayer on the forum. You got Tuesday night's Euro Millions, mate?

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Levon

Ooh, a soothsayer on the forum. You got Tuesday night's Euro Millions, mate?

If you have nothing to contribute you can always stay silent.

I may be wrong. I'm willing to put a point of view out there that may not be what happens. If I was a perfect "soothsayer" it wouldn't be interesting to talk about. Nobody knows anything, but odds are this doesn't reach court, because odds are both parties will realize it's in their best interests to reach an agreement beforehand.

Stranger things have happened of course. To clarify, lawsuits may indeed get filed. I just figure a settlement agreement will be reached before it goes to any courtroom hearing/arbitration.

[Lee A Stewart]

Sources familiar with the situation say top brass at Legendary are trying to have conversations with Warner Bros. regarding its upcoming films. Legendary and Warner Bros. have frequently collaborated over the years on titles such as Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, “The Hangover” movies and the “Godzilla” franchise. Legendary is hoping to first negotiate a more generous deal, but isn’t taking legal action off the table should the two companies fail to come to a compromise. One possibility is that Warner Bros. would buy the films outright from Legendary. No legal challenge has been filed yet, but a suit could materialize early this week. It’s unclear what legal grounds Legendary would use to challenge the decision, though it would likely involve some breach of contract.

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/l...la-1234847605/

[Britnasty]

Safe to say the WB/Christopher Nolan relationship is over.

”Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” filmmaker Christopher Nolan, whose relationship with Warners dates back to Insomnia in 2002, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

Nolan added: “Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...rner-bros-plan

[imsounoriginal]

Nolan must've known the relationship was already over when he used up all his goodwill at the studio convincing them take a bath on his movie.

[DanTheMan]

Damn, Nolan. Tell ‘em how you really feel lol

[captveg]

Originally Posted by Britnasty

Safe to say the WB/Christopher Nolan relationship is over.



https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ne...rner-bros-plan

Says the guy whose insistence on releasing his film this past summer blew up in Warner's face.

He got what he insisted on and it now blew up in his face. He may be forever linked with helping to end the theatrical model as he always loved it. That's gotta chafe.

[CelestialAgent]

Originally Posted by captveg

There is no way WB is ever allowing this film to be sold to another entity. Not when they have distribution locked in on the three previous films in the series. That package is worth far more as a whole set of four films than as 3/4ths of a set.

More than likely WB will buy out Legendary's shortcomings if it comes to that so that Legendary gets exactly what they would have from a Netflix sale, but no more. Right now there's still potential for Legendary to get more, based on non-US box office alone. This is still getting a theatrical release in all markets, as is Dune.

WB sold Mowgli to Netflix. Nobody talks about Mowgli. Oh and WB has plenty of series ‘Original’ to Netflix, especially some of the DC shows in international territories.

Legendary have a rough time of everything whether it’s WB or Universal.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by captveg

Says the guy whose insistence on releasing his film this past summer blew up in Warner's face.

He got what he insisted on and it know blew up in his face. He may be forever linked with helping to end the theatrical model as he always loved it. That's gotta chafe.

Was gonna say, has someone told Nolan this is at least partly on him?

[MazeRunner]

Sue them!!!!!

AT&T sucks anyway, go Verizon!