Breaking... Warner Bros entire slate of 2021 films to be released same day on HBOMAX .. Holy Shit

[playahaitian]

AMC Boss Adam Aron Slams Warner Bros HBO Max 2021 Theatrical Window Concept: Studio Sacrificing “Considerable” Profit
By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro

A shuttered AMC Theatre in New York City's Flatiron District.Mega Agency

AMC Boss Adam Aron has weighed on WarnerMedia’s news about debuting its entire 2021 theatrical release slate simultaneously on HBO Max, and he isn’t a happy camper. Wonder Woman 1984 as a one-off was fine, but the chain expects to fight hard when it comes to terms. Here’s what Aron had to say today:

“These coronavirus-impacted times are uncharted waters for all of us, which is why AMC signed on to an HBO Max exception to customary practices for one film only, Wonder Woman 1984, being released by Warner Brothers at Christmas when the pandemic appears that it will be at its height. However, Warner now hopes to do this for all their 2021 theatrical movies, despite the likelihood that with vaccines right around the corner the theatre business is expected to recover.



“Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max start up. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.

“We have already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.

“As this issue gets sorted out, we are nonetheless encouraged that vaccines protecting society at large against the coronavirus are very much at hand. So, it is our expectation that moviegoers soon will be able once again to delight in coming to our theatres without any worry — viewing the world’s best movies safely in our big seats, with our big sound and on our big screens.”

We heard that the major exhibitors today received an hour’s heads-up from Warners before the news broke. Some smaller exhibitors learned only seven minutes prior to the big HBO Max-theatrical 2021 windows news.

By and large, many exhibitors are not happy and see this move by Warner Bros as doomsday. “Obviously they don’t care about theatrical anymore,” one rival exhibition boss said today about Warner Bros.

Warners apparently is being comfortable on terms with exhibition for Wonder Woman 1984, but theaters will fight hard on everything thereafter. If it’s on a streaming service, why charge $14 a ticket to see it when you’re competing against it? $1 or $5 sounds right to them.



Here’s the thing: There might be hope for exhibition. As crazy and rose-colored glasses as that sounds, if the pandemic quells by summer, there conceivably could be competition for screens by studios, and exhibition could block simultaneous theatrical-and-streaming titles entirely. Only time will tell. There’s another mindset that believes exhibition is certain to come out of this pandemic much smaller than anticipated with even more local cinemas closing down.

Practically speaking, we should know via the first three or four titles whether the theatrical-HBO Max model works or not. If a considerable amount of money is lost, and subscribers not gained, AT&T won’t be jolly. Also at risk for Warners going forward per various industry sources: Loss of filmmakers. Filmmakers want to make their movies for the big screen, not the streaming service. It’s nice to cash a check from Netflix, but at the end of the day, it’s also great to relish and reap a big-screen wide release.


WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told us today, the ambitious distribution move was in response to the pandemic in an effort to monetize the slate, respond to fans, and at the end of the day, he believes theatrical will come back.

In the meantime, we wait with bated breath as to what Disney will unload on Thursday, December 10, their investor day which will serve up a ton of Disney+ news. Already we told you that big screen intended releases Cruella, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan and Wendy are headed to Disney+.

AMC’s news follows Cinemark’s response earlier today on the theatrical-HBO Max bombshell; the No. 3 exhibitor saying, “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis. At this time, Warner Bros. has not provided any details for the hybrid distribution model of their 2021 films.”[/spoiler]

 

[playahaitian]

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar On How Groundbreaking HBO Max Theatrical Window Strategy Will Optimize Revenues

By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor

Jason Kilar, WarnerMediaWarnerMedia
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar jumped on the phone today to talk more about the revolutionary theatrical-HBO Max window for the studio’s 2021 slate. That big decision comes down strictly to the pandemic and the studio aiming to maximize their movies as revenue events on its new streaming service HBO Max, as well as helping those theaters that are opting to weather the current storm. As Kilar explains here, he’s a big believer in the theatrical experience and firmly believes it will survive for decades to come.
“We’re here for the long term, in terms of theatrical exhibition and obviously in investing heavily in motion pictures and also investing heavily in the marketing of those motion pictures,” Kilar told Deadline.





“Tenet was a great example of how we went the distance in ways others haven’t,” he added. “And that was very important to use in terms of theatrical exhibition. We do believe, and others might have a different opinion, this is the way to do the most important thing we can for the theatrical exhibition community which is to provide them a steady stream of new and fresh movies and motion pictures that they can count on, and consumers can count on. It’s something we’re vested in and will continue to be vested in.

DEADLINE: This is a huge announcement today. The town typically has justified the investment in a movie by a theatrical window downstream model. Will the growth in HBO Max subscriptions make up for an entire year’s theatrical production costs and P&A spends? It looked like Wonder Woman 1984 was an experiment, but this is a completely new way of doing things. Provide us with the overview of the financial philosophy of this.

JASON KILAR: Sure, I’m going to start by stating the obvious: We’re in the middle of a pandemic, despite all of us wishing that the pandemic goes away extremely quickly, like a Band-Aid being ripped off. Everyone we talked to in the medical community suggests that this will persist in terms of consumer behavior and the medical situation for a bit of 2021, if not all of 2021. That’s the first and most important context to say. The reason why is, that’s what has absolutely shaped this decision. And to get to your question about the financials, our belief is that in the current situation, which is highly unusual, by having this release model — which is a hybrid model of theatrical and on HBO Max for the first month of the film’s release — we believe economically first and most importantly, it’s the right thing to do for fans, it’s the right thing to do for exhibition and the right thing to do for talent, considering the circumstances.




With that in mind, we believe that what we announced today is going to optimize the economics. And the reason why is twofold: The revenues that are generated by the box office, of course, and the other is the value of the consumption on HBO Max from existing subscribers and what we anticipate to be more subscribers coming into HBO Max who choose to do so because of the presence of these films. So, that’s why we think about the economics which is obviously different from the way historically it has been done in Hollywood, which was largely focused on theatrical for the first X number of weeks for a film’s life.

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Going In Theaters & HBO Max On Christmas Day, Unprecedented For A Superhero Tentpole

DEADLINE: You bring up the interesting point here — the film going in its first 30 days on HBO Max with theaters. Why not delay it? Why not flip that where the film is exclusive initially in theaters and then HBO Max thereafter?
Warner Bros.
KILAR: The headline answer is because of the pandemic. Because of the situation we’re in and the fact that we’re going to invest a considerable amount in marketing, which is unusual to do in the middle of a pandemic. And by marketing, I mean money which benefits the theatrical experience; a considerable marketing budget for each and every film that will be coming out over the next 13 months, and we believe that the marketing investment works better if eyes were out there talking about these great films title-by-title-by title. That marketing can benefit not just the theatrical experience, which of course is depressed during the pandemic, but also benefit at the same time the HBO Max period of time that the films are available there. That element is an important one to highlight in this as well.

HBO Max Plotting Local International Originals Based On DC Comics IP As WarnerMedia Steps Up Global Rollout Of Streaming Service

DEADLINE: HBO Max is going to launch next year in Europe and Latin America. This plan of debuting films on HBO Max and in theaters will also take place in offshore territories?

KILAR: What we announced today is just for the United States. So, we have not announced anything in terms of outside the United States other than these films will have a traditional release outside the U.S.

DEADLINE: Given the binge nature of streaming, aren’t series the stronger asset than films for a streamer?

HBO

KILAR: Great question. It depends on the quality of the series and the quality of the films. I’ll use one example from this summer, which based on all indications from the data I saw did quite well, which is a movie, or a movie format and that’s Hamilton on Disney+. So that was a 2-hour plus piece of content which fit the time format of a movie. It wasn’t a series. Based on what I saw that drew quite a number of subscriptions for Disney+. Now conversely you can look at something like The Undoing, which is a series and that drove a lot of subscriptions for HBO Max. It depends on the quality of the content and I bring it back to the fans. There are many evenings when people open up HBO Max and they’re in the mood to dive into something that can sustain them for weeks and sometimes months. That is, call it ‘the series mode of life’. They really want to dive in and know characters like The Flight Attendant and enjoy the series through the month of December. There are many other situations where someone sits down and opens up HBO Max and says, ‘I want to be entertained for this evening, and that’s what I’m willing to commit to and I really don’t want to have a commitment beyond this evening’. And that’s when people choose a documentary or a movie title perhaps. It depends on the quality of content and the story and what frame of mind that the consumer is in. You should expect to see in the next several decades, investing aggressively in the motion picture format and the series format.

DEADLINE: Do you still believe in theatrical marketplace? Is this the new order of doing things? Or when 2022 opens up, we go back to the old ways of doing things? Is this an experiment?

KILAR: The short answer to your first question is I absolutely believe in the theatrical marketplace. I say that with conviction because I know fans care about it. I know I count myself as one of the more ardent fans of the theatrical experience. I believe 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 50 years from now, there is going to be a robust theatrical marketplace, and I say that because there are very few things that can compete on a Friday night when you’re going out with someone that you love, to a cinema, and being told a great story on a gigantic screen, in a communal setting and in an environment that is new and interesting to you. And I just think that’s going to persist for decades and beyond that. That’s the quick answer to your first question.

As to what the world looks like after 2021, I have no grand proclamations to make. Our focus, candidly, is on the here and now. We’re focused on getting through this pandemic like any business is, and we’re putting a lot of brain cells against what the right thing is to do to serve fans and to serve partners and to server ourselves. And all those things are important to do and that’s what our focus is, obviously that is what we announced today.


DEADLINE: Any update on staff reductions? There was a note about cutting expenses up to 20% recently.

KILAR: I don’t think so. There’s nothing else that I’m aware of. We did have staff reductions a bit ago, in early November, and that was a difficult period for us in terms of the follow-up on the changes I announced on August 7, which were at the senior levels. In that note on August 7, I let the team know and the outside world, we were going to let that new senior leadership make the decisions that they thought best in regards to how to organize and best serve customers. That resulted in staff reductions in early November. For the most part, with the exception of a couple of outside U.S. territories, those things are completed and were completed in early November.

 

[playahaitian]

Cinemark Responds To Earth-Shattering Warner Bros-HBO Max 2021 Theatrical Slate Decision

By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro

December 3, 2020 11:23am


A Cinemark movie theater in Chesapeake, VACinemark
Cinemark is the first major exhibitor to weigh in today regarding WarnerMedia’s decision to put its 2021 theatrical slate in Stateside theaters and HBO Max simultaneously.

Essentially the No. 3 exhibitor will take it easy as it does, and said the following today via a company rep: “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis. At this time, Warner Bros. has not provided any details for the hybrid distribution model of their 2021 films.”

While AMC immediately heralded Warners’ decision to put Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max and in cinemas during the pandemic on Christmas, Cinemark never responded. Those in distribution land say that Cinemark is bound to come around and play the movie, but nothing official yet.

Cinemark Boss Mark Zoradi, as a former Disney vet, always has been pragmatic about windows decisions, having a full understanding of the studio side. We’ll see how this plays out.



Will exhibitors charge $1 to these HBO Max movies? And reap high rentals? This is truly a fight for eyeballs going forward between those cinemas that are braving the pandemic and HBO Max, which wants subs in the short term.

 

[tallblacknyc]

AMC Boss Adam Aron Slams Warner Bros HBO Max 2021 Theatrical Window Concept: Studio Sacrificing “Considerable” Profit
By Anthony D'Alessandro
Anthony D'Alessandro

A shuttered AMC Theatre in New York City's Flatiron District.Mega Agency

AMC Boss Adam Aron has weighed on WarnerMedia’s news about debuting its entire 2021 theatrical release slate simultaneously on HBO Max, and he isn’t a happy camper. Wonder Woman 1984 as a one-off was fine, but the chain expects to fight hard when it comes to terms. Here’s what Aron had to say today:

“These coronavirus-impacted times are uncharted waters for all of us, which is why AMC signed on to an HBO Max exception to customary practices for one film only, Wonder Woman 1984, being released by Warner Brothers at Christmas when the pandemic appears that it will be at its height. However, Warner now hopes to do this for all their 2021 theatrical movies, despite the likelihood that with vaccines right around the corner the theatre business is expected to recover.



“Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max start up. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business.

“We have already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.

“As this issue gets sorted out, we are nonetheless encouraged that vaccines protecting society at large against the coronavirus are very much at hand. So, it is our expectation that moviegoers soon will be able once again to delight in coming to our theatres without any worry — viewing the world’s best movies safely in our big seats, with our big sound and on our big screens.”

We heard that the major exhibitors today received an hour’s heads-up from Warners before the news broke. Some smaller exhibitors learned only seven minutes prior to the big HBO Max-theatrical 2021 windows news. By and large, many exhibitors are not happy and see this move by Warner Bros as doomsday. “Obviously they don’t care about theatrical anymore,” one rival exhibition boss said today about Warner Bros.
Cinemark Responds To Earth-Shattering Warner Bros-HBO Max 2021 Theatrical Slate Decision

Warners apparently is being comfortable on terms with exhibition for Wonder Woman 1984, but theaters will fight hard on everything thereafter. If it’s on a streaming service, why charge $14 a ticket to see it when you’re competing against it? $1 or $5 sounds right to them.



Here’s the thing: There might be hope for exhibition. As crazy and rose-colored glasses as that sounds, if the pandemic quells by summer, there conceivably could be competition for screens by studios, and exhibition could block simultaneous theatrical-and-streaming titles entirely. Only time will tell. There’s another mindset that believes exhibition is certain to come out of this pandemic much smaller than anticipated with even more local cinemas closing down.

Practically speaking, we should know via the first three or four titles whether the theatrical-HBO Max model works or not. If a considerable amount of money is lost, and subscribers not gained, AT&T won’t be jolly. Also at risk for Warners going forward per various industry sources: Loss of filmmakers. Filmmakers want to make their movies for the big screen, not the streaming service. It’s nice to cash a check from Netflix, but at the end of the day, it’s also great to relish and reap a big-screen wide release.


WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told us today, the ambitious distribution move was in response to the pandemic in an effort to monetize the slate, respond to fans, and at the end of the day, he believes theatrical will come back.

In the meantime, we wait with bated breath as to what Disney will unload on Thursday, December 10, their investor day which will serve up a ton of Disney+ news. Already we told you that big screen intended releases Cruella, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan and Wendy are headed to Disney+.

AMC’s news follows Cinemark’s response earlier today on the theatrical-HBO Max bombshell; the No. 3 exhibitor saying, “In light of the current operating environment, we are making near-term booking decisions on a film-by-film basis. At this time, Warner Bros. has not provided any details for the hybrid distribution model of their 2021 films.”[/spoiler]

Big biz cant help showing their ego and acting like the world needs them more than they need us.. this dude act like humans can’t be entertained without his theatres.. big screen, big seats, big sound lol.. there is no humble factor with these motherfuckers and that’s why enjoy their burn... big biz think they are bigger than the consumer and that’s why I like these kick them in the ego moments when they realize their existence is capable of being useless

 

[dtownsfinest]

They have to at this point...it's a deal breaker not having HBO Max on your platform after this news

Yeah you exactly right. Especially right now.......

 

[gene cisco]

Big biz cant help showing their ego and acting like the world needs them more than they need us.. this dude act like humans can’t be entertained without his theatres.. big screen, big seats, big sound lol.. there is no humble factor with these motherfuckers and that’s why enjoy their burn... big biz think they are bigger than the consumer and that’s why I like these kick them in the ego moments when they realize their existence is capable of being useless

I been waiting all year for this shit. My post from March/April clowning these dinosaurs for moving movies right into flu season proved to be right. I couldn't believe that clown shit.

 

[Louis Koo]

these motherfuckers still did not release the new Boondocks

 

[TENT]

Again, there you go running off...

Did you read what I wrote?


TENT said "I try not to be a thief especially if it is stealing from something I enjoy and want to see grow."

For music, I use amazon prime and listen to old albums. Sometimes I might choose a new list playlist. I am good with that.

For porn I use porn hub. 2 or 3 mins at a time. That is all I need to go to sleep.

Do you pay every artist for the music you listen to? Do you pay every adult star who pic you looked at or vid you watched? Has every sporting event you ever watched received money from you? If not you also are a vulture and don’t pay for everything you view or hear for entertainment.. I hope you don’t look in the basement or view any pic/vid threads cause that would be vulture like to not pay for the content

 

[Kaotic]

yo this is IT

2020 was like you thought I was done?

HOLD MY FUCKING BEER.

 

[ThaBurgerPimp]

these motherfuckers still did not make the new Boondocks

Fixed

 

[Helico-pterFunk]

Daymond John Says Warner Bros. Streaming Films Rocks Industry, U.S. Economy

Daymond John says Warner Bros. will change economy with streaming plan, but theaters can still make a comeback.

www.tmz.com

 

[gdatruth]

 

[ShortyCumStain]

Game changer. Will they be for free theaux?!

 

[tallblacknyc]

Again, there you go running off...

Did you read what I wrote?


TENT said "I try not to be a thief especially if it is stealing from something I enjoy and want to see grow."

For music, I use amazon prime and listen to old albums. Sometimes I might choose a new list playlist. I am good with that.

For porn I use porn hub. 2 or 3 mins at a time. That is all I need to go to sleep.

You no better than us join the cage felon..cops not gonna let you go cause you half assed a crime.. so either go hard or go home

 

[playahaitian]

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

By Todd Spangler


Warner Bros.
The stakes are suddenly much higher for WarnerMedia and Roku in their months-long standoff over HBO Max.

The clock is ticking for both companies, which — 191 days after HBO Max’s debut — still don’t have a deal for Roku to distribute the HBO Max service on its platform.

WarnerMedia substantially upped the ante Thursday, announcing that Warner Bros.’ current 17-movie slate for 2021 will hit HBO Max day-and-date with theaters. That came after the media conglom already announced that Gal Gadot-starrer “Wonder Woman 1984” will hit HBO Max and theaters simultaneously on Dec. 25.

So will Roku customers get “Wonder Woman 1984” by Christmas Day — and does the coming pipeline of WB movies like “Matrix 4” and “Dune” add new pressure for the streaming platform to clinch a deal? It’s unclear.



The studio’s surprise windowing move is designed to ratchet up the allure of HBO Max and help WarnerMedia monetize its blockbuster titles through streaming, given the uncertainty that remains about how soon U.S. theaters might return to pre-COVID audience levels. But specifically, it’s a big card up WarnerMedia’s sleeve in the poker match with Roku to try to win a deal. Roku has 46 million users — a sizable black hole in HBO Max’s distribution matrix.

https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/hbo-max-ends-free-trial-wonder-woman-1984-1234845579/

Sources confirm to Variety that WarnerMedia and Roku are in active talks. But both sides have signaled that they are unwilling to budge on their positions: Roku wants to keep HBO/HBO Max as a channel it can sell directly to its own customers, while WarnerMedia is insisting that HBO Max be available as a standalone app. The companies are also hashing out the terms for how they will divvy up ad inventory for the ad-subsidized version of HBO Max, which WarnerMedia plans to launch for a reduced price later in 2021.

Each company is playing a long game, but both have a lot to lose by not settling their differences as soon as possible. For Roku, the 2020 holiday-shopping season is already in full swing, and consumers are making buying decisions about connected-TV devices now — and the absence of HBO Max will hurt. WarnerMedia, meanwhile, needs to gain more new HBO Max customers to make the economics of its model work.
Now WarnerMedia is making HBO Max much more of a must-have service by shattering theatrical windows for Warner Bros. movies. That may have been the deciding factor for Amazon to agree to an HBO Max deal last month for Fire TV, with the tradeoff being that Amazon will no longer have the right to sell HBO through the Prime Video Channels.

But the question in the WarnerMedia-Roku situation still remains: Which side needs the other more?

This summer, asked about HBO Max, Roku CEO Anthony Wood told Variety that the company offers comparable deal terms to all content partners. He’s also touted Roku’s role in fueling Disney Plus’ rapid subscriber ramp. “Fair and reasonable content distribution deals are how we finance the low-cost easy-to-use Roku platform that consumers use to access these services on their TVs,” he said.



As for why Roku wants to retain the ability to sell HBO through the Roku Channel, Wood claimed the model results in higher content viewing among Roku customers than via separate apps, “which benefits us and our content partners economically.” Needless to say, WarnerMedia hasn’t found that a persuasive argument at this point.

WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar recently engaged in a bit of saber rattling, when he suggested that device makers without HBO Max will see their sales suffer. “As we head into the fourth quarter, when gift-giving happens, it becomes a more material situation for a seller of hardware” to have HBO Max, he told Bloomberg in August.

But by moving the Warner Bros. slate to day-and-date on HBO Max, WarnerMedia has put itself under significant new pressure to grow the HBO Max base.

The shift will result in $1.2 billion lost revenue annually for WarnerMedia, per an estimate by Craig Moffett, founding partner of analyst firm MoffettNathanson. because it’s killing off exclusive theatrical windows, while at the same time putting movies on HBO Max also will depress revenue from home-entertainment releases.

As a result, HBO Max’s annual average subscriber base would need to be 8.4 million higher than its current pace of additions for WarnerMedia to make itself whole, according to Moffett. “The market has shown a clear preference for go-big-or-go-home digital strategies,” he wrote in a research note Friday. “The most obvious takeaway from yesterday’s news is that AT&T is, come hell or high water, going to drive traffic to HBO Max.”
And Roku, boosted by the COVID pandemic, has seen significant momentum. The company will close out 2020 with an estimated 52 million user accounts — with have a footprint representing around 40% of all U.S. broadband households, according to Rosenblatt Securities.

HBO Max gained a little over 3.6 million retail subscriptions from its late-May launch through Sept. 30. All told, 28.7 million customers were eligible to get HBO Max at the end of Q3 — but HBO Max had only 8.6 million total “activated” subscribers, or about 30% of the total potential customers. The deal with Amazon will help raise that number but WarnerMedia still needs Roku to turn the corner on getting more subs into the HBO Max fold.
Roku is driving a harder bargain for HBO Max than Amazon because, unlike the tech giant, Roku is entirely dependent on revenue-sharing deals and advertising. Amazon is a gigantic company that has significantly more diversified business model than Roku, said Joe McCormack, telecom and media analyst at Third Bridge. “Data and customer relationship ownership are of course themes as well, where HBO Max hopes to become a platform that owns customer viewership data as well as the billing experience,” McCormack said.

Another factor influencing Roku’s willingness to be patient: Its customers have some workarounds for getting HBO programming on their devices. Roku customers with recent-model 4K devices can now use Apple AirPlay 2 to cast from the HBO Max app to their Roku players, or use screen-mirroring from a Windows or Android device to do the same thing. Also, they can access HBO content (but not the full HBO Max lineup, which is roughly twice as big) through the current HBO app on Roku, using their HBO Max credentials.

Roku’s standard deal terms for content partners is to take 20% of subscription fees and 30% of ad inventory (if applicable). That ad split had been a nonstarter for NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which furnishes a lighter ad load than most AVOD services; Roku and NBCU worked out a compromise in September.

WarnerMedia is similarly balking at signing away a swath of HBO Max ad inventory to Roku. If HBO Max, as execs have indicated, eventually incorporates live programming from CNN or Turner Sports, WarnerMedia “would not want to be taxed again by Roku,” said McCormack.
Roku wants to hold the line in not making concessions to WarnerMedia, because any deal the streaming platform provider cuts for HBO Max would establish a precedent for other distribution agreements. But the sheer tonnage of first-run movies coming to HBO Max — and how loudly Roku customers will demand access to them — will weigh into how urgently Roku determines it needs to get the service up and running.

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

The stakes are suddenly much higher for both WarnerMedia and Roku in their long-running standoff over HBO Max.

variety.com

 

[playahaitian]

‘Dune’ Producer Legendary Entertainment May Sue Warner Bros. Over HBO Max Deal

By
Rebecca Rubin, Brent Lang
YouTube Screenshot

Legendary Entertainment, the production company that co-financed “Dune” and “Godzilla vs. Kong,” may take legal action against Warner Bros. over the studio’s decision to send its movies to HBO Max at the same time they debut in cinemas.
Legendary financed a significant portion of “Dune,” which cost roughly $175 million, and “Godzilla vs. Kong,” which carries a price tag around $160 million. Yet the company was largely kept out of the loop that their films would be included in Warner Bros.’ plan to send 17 films — its entire 2021 slate — to the subscription streaming service and any open movie theaters.
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.




Legendary declined to comment, as did Warner Bros.
Part of Legendary’s frustration is that despite largely bankrolling “Dune” and “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the production company didn’t have much of a say in how its buzzy titles would be released. Moreover, the company felt that Warner Bros. wasn’t being transparent with its intentions. Months ago, Netflix had discussed a possible sale of “Godzilla vs. Kong” for a hefty $250 million but WarnerMedia, the parent company of Warner Bros., blocked that arrangement.
Denis Villeneuve, the director of “Dune,” is similarly disappointed with the HBO Max plan and would prefer a traditional theatrical release for his movie, according to insiders. The “Dune” adaptation is intended to be the first of a two-part retelling of Frank Herbert’s seminal 1965 novel. The big-budget sci-fi epic — starring Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Zendaya — was initially greenlit with the intention of launching on the big screen. It’s too early to know if the planned sequel would follow the same rollout as the first. Other filmmakers involved in the movie are also privately unhappy with the move.
“Godzilla vs. Kong” is currently scheduled to debut on May 21, 2021. “Dune” is slated to open on Oct. 1.

 

[playahaitian]

@playahaitian Holy shit

thoughts on all these potential lawsuits?

 

[will_right]

 

[tallblacknyc]

thoughts on all these potential lawsuits?

as they said might buy movies directly... here’s 9 figs of shut up money now beat it

 

[Multi - P Limited]

Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as “Worst Streaming Service,” Denounces Warner Bros.’ Plan

Christopher Nolan is criticizing WarnerMedia as talent and their reps feel blindsided by its HBO Max streaming announcement.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Christopher Nolan Rips HBO Max as "Worst Streaming Service," Denounces Warner Bros.' Plan
4:36 PM PST 12/7/2020 by Kim Masters

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Illustration by Laemeur


To many insiders, WarnerMedia's blindsiding of talent and their reps with news that it would send 17 films directly to HBO Max in 2021 felt like an insult.


For many in the movie business — producers, directors, stars and their representatives — Dec. 3, 2020, is a day that will live in infamy.
“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.

Added Nolan: “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.”

Rachel Murray/Getty Images
Christopher Nolan's 'Tenet,' distributed by Warner Bros., grossed $359 million worldwide and $57.6 million in the U.S.

On that now-infamous morning, Ann Sarnoff — whose ungainly title is chair and CEO of WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group — and Warner Bros. film studio chairman Toby Emmerich called the heads of the major agencies to drop a bombshell: Warners was about to smash the theatrical window, sweeping its entire 17-picture 2021 film slate onto its faltering HBO Max streaming service, debuting them on the same day they would open in whatever theaters could admit customers.

Surprisingly to some in the industry, sources say the idea was the brainchild of Warner Bros. COO Carolyn Blackwood who, looking at a relatively weak 2021 slate, saw an opportunity to avoid the humiliation of potentially bad grosses while currying favor with streamer-obsessed higher-ups.
The instant response in Hollywood was outrage and a massive girding for battle. “Warners has made a grave mistake,” says one top talent agent. “Never have this many people been this upset with one entity.” Like others, he had spent much of the day dealing with calls from stunned and angry clients. And that swooshing sound you hear? It’s the lawyers, stropping their blades as they prepare for battle: that Warners was self-dealing in shifting these movies to its own streamer, perhaps, or that the company acted in bad faith. Some talent reps say the decision affects not only profit participants but others who have worked on films as the move might affect residual payments. They expect and hope that the guilds will get involved. (The Writers Guild of America declined to comment.)
The Warners move poses big, maybe even existential questions: How do theaters survive this supposedly onetime, excused-by-the-pandemic move? Genies are hard to put back in the bottle — and no one believes Warners intended this to be temporary, anyway. What damage will be done to exhibitors by training customers that if they sit on their sofas, the biggest movies will come? And will Warners face serious backlash from important producers, filmmakers, guilds and onscreen talent? “Warners was the quintessentially talent-friendly, filmmaker-friendly studio,” says one agent. “Now Warners isn’t the first place, second place or third place you want to go.”

Many in Hollywood think WarnerMedia opted for this drastic move to play to streaming-infatuated Wall Street and redo the botched launch of HBO Max, which has netted a dismal 8.6 million "activated" subscribers so far. But one prominent agent notes that the top executives at WarnerMedia and its parent — AT&T CEO John Stankey, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and, of course, Sarnoff — “don’t understand the movie business, and they don’t understand talent relations.”
While Kilar pays what is seen as lip service to movies, industry veterans say Warners is sacrificing the huge profit that comes from selling movies in multiple formats and on multiple platforms around the world.

Even before Warners made its play, there was grumbling among agents that Sarnoff, who has been on the job for more than a year, had yet to get acquainted with key players on the film side or make much of an impression at all. That’s why many are focusing their wrath on Emmerich. “Toby’s passion is only about managing up,” says one agent who represents major Warners talent.

By the weekend following the announcement, Emmerich was calling important filmmakers with projects set for 2022 to assure them that their movies wouldn’t be dropped on the streaming service without warning. “As if anyone would believe he had any control over the situation,” says one producer with a major Warner property. “Toby probably had a really bad weekend, not that I feel bad for him,” says one agent.

According to a source, Emmerich tried to soothe In the Heights director Jon M. Chu by pointing out that the movie was still getting a “global theatrical release.” But industry insiders say the studio is pretending that pirates won’t pounce as soon as these films are streaming on HBO Max. As soon as one does, there's an “excellent version of the movie everywhere immediately,” notes one industry veteran.

WarnerMedia’s decision to attack without warning may be understandable given the blowback that was foreseeable. But to many insiders, blindsiding talent and their reps seemed like an insult. Sources say studio president Courtenay Valenti was the only Warner exec who dared to speak up about the need to reach out to key creative partners, but she was quickly hushed.

Much of this outrage will surely be mitigated if WarnerMedia is prepared to write big checks to all the profit participants in the films that have been moved. “It’s a critical time for them, at the highest level, to make this right with the talent,” says one rep. But agents say the guidance that’s been provided so far suggests that the company isn’t planning to offer what is now called "Wonder Woman money," in honor of the rich deal the studio gave profit participants in Wonder Woman 1984 when that film was moved to HBO Max.

Warner Bros. Entertainment
Warner Bros.' 'Wonder Woman 1984' will debut on HBO Max and in theaters on Dec. 25 in the U.S.

WarnerMedia had to shovel tens of millions at Gal Godot and the other key players because the company wants a third in the series. But that sets the bar high. Sources say even Suicide Squad director James Gunn, who is platform-agnostic, was not pleased when the studio followed its shocking announcement by floating a lackluster formula for compensating him and other profit participants in the film.

At minimum, WarnerMedia has opened the door to arduous negotiations with the major agencies over compensation for multiple profit participants in 17 movies. Did the Warners numbers crunchers, in projecting the cost of premiering its entire 2021 slate on HBO Max, factor in the cost of widely anticipated legal challenges? Industry insiders believe WarnerMedia may have opened itself up to those, especially as it is selling the movies to its own streaming platform when none of the profit participants has had a chance to figure out what Apple or Netflix might have paid for the opportunity to stream their projects day-and-date. Allegations of self-dealing are almost sure to follow.

Many think Legendary will be the first to file a legal challenge. The company fired off a previous lawyer letter after Netflix offered something north of $225 million for the rights to Godzilla vs. Kong, which has seen its release date moved from March 2020 to November to May 2021. Though Legendary financed 75 percent of the movie, Warners had the power to block the sale and did. Legendary asked whether the studio would then give it a deal to stream the movie on HBO Max — and got no clear answer until its executives woke up one December morning to find that the movie was going day-and-date on the service without the benefit of a negotiation. Legendary’s even more expensive picture, Dune, is getting the same treatment. The other companies that finance Warners movies, Village Roadshow and Bron, are also said to be aggrieved parties that might end up going to court.

And then there’s the talent. Dune director Denis Villeneuve is said to be among those who felt most strongly that a traditional big-screen release was essential for his film. Chu, who along with Lin-Manuel Miranda went through an intense courtship with multiple suitors for In the Heights and who had turned down a huge Netflix offer for Crazy Rich Asians because he cherishes the communal theatrical experience, told an associate he was “shell-shocked” after being informed of the Warners decision.

Sources say WarnerMedia insiders have been hoping that Disney will follow its lead and shift its slate to streaming. But Disney, which had seven billion-dollar-grossing movies last year, isn’t about to do that. Instead, it is moving some films to streaming, as it did with Hamilton and Artemis Fowl — likely Cruella and more — but an agent notes that the way Disney has handled the shift stands in stark contrast to what Warners has done. “They didn’t do a unilateral thing,” he says, adding that studio executives made pre-emptive calls to talent and their reps that helped smooth the process.

It’s also worth noting that Disney+, which has dwarfed HBO Max in terms of subscribers, has gotten a lot of mileage out of one original hit, The Mandalorian, which is based on an iconic movie property. “There’s never been a full-fledged franchise blockbuster launched on a streaming service,” observes an executive at a Warners competitor. “It starts with theaters and it starts with opening weekend.” And so far, those blockbusters have been the ones that generated merchandise sales and theme-park attractions.

Warners doesn’t have theme parks but it has reaped big benefits from movies that almost certainly would have been dropped onto HBO Max had the option been available at the time. Consider last year’s megahit Joker. Film studio chief Emmerich was not a fan of the project; it was defended by worldwide marketing president Blair Rich, who was recently pushed out. Emmerich lowballed on the budget to discourage director Todd Phillips from making it, and when the filmmaker persisted, sold off half the movie. Joker then became a cultural phenomenon that grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide, was honored with 11 Academy Award nominations and an Oscar for Joaquin Phoenix. Would any of that have happened had Joker been dropped onto HBO Max?

Despite their assertions to the contrary, many industry insiders believe that neither AT&T chairman Stankey nor Kilar has much interest in the legacy movie business. Kilar has said this move was made for the fans and told CNBC, “If we start our days and end our days focused on the customer, we’re going to lead the industry.”

That brings to mind a line in the new Netflix movie, Mank — a warning delivered to the upstart Orson Welles by grizzled veteran Herman Mankiewicz: “You, my friend, are an outsider, a self-anointed savior-hyphenate. They’re just waiting to loathe you.”

It also leaves out a long-standing Hollywood maxim: Content is king. And content comes from artists who aren’t always motivated purely by money. Says an agent who represents extremely important talent with business at Warners: “You had a decades-long legacy as being known as the most talent-friendly studio. Now you’ve gone from that to a studio that in starburst colors lit up a sign that says, 'We don’t give a fuck about talent.’”

 

[The Plutonian]

All WB HBO need now

Is some ridiculous promotion at the end of the year and its a WRAP

How much is that app now?

UPDATE:

$17 / month

Grab a new Galaxy Note from AT&T and it’s free for a year, brah!

Edit. These mfs crying snotty ass tears now because somebody ain’t gonna get a traditional cut off table. Boo hoo motherfuckers, cry me a river!

 

[playahaitian]

Grab a new Galaxy Note from AT&T and it’s free for a year, brah!

thanks man

but I can't do AT&T

I heard nothing but bad things.

 

[The Plutonian]

thanks man

but I can't do AT&T

I heard nothing but bad things.

Service is kinda shitty on the 5g network because they still refining it but my bill is now $13 a month until the end of my contract. I keep my phone too as they are paying it off for me.

 

[Day_Carver]

I disagree.

Suicide Squad alone already getting a spin off and damn near a sequel.

Im very confused as to why hbo and hbo max are not together as one streaming service. Shit is stupid and they just being greedy. Just make one HBO streaming service. And then complete with Disney Amazon Netflix....

 

[Day_Carver]

I may be completely off on this, but the way that I understand it to work is the film companies sell the movie to theatres, and the theatres make their money by selling tickets. I don't think film companies get a share of the ticket price. The movie companies in this case perhaps figured it's more profitable to sell to the streaming sites under different terms.

I will research it some more.
If anyone has additional insight or a better understanding of this process, please elaborate.

Theaters make their money off of the food that they sell. Majority if not all of ticket sells go to the movie owners themselves...

 

[playahaitian]

Im very confused as to why hbo and hbo max are not together as one streaming service. Shit is stupid and they just being greedy. Just make one HBO streaming service. And then complete with Disney Amazon Netflix....

^^^^^^^^

 

[BlackGoku]

Daymond John Says Warner Bros. Streaming Films Rocks Industry, U.S. Economy

Daymond John says Warner Bros. will change economy with streaming plan, but theaters can still make a comeback.

www.tmz.com

Shoutout to Daymond John...reading his book "Rise and Grind" right now..

 

[ShortyCumStain]

Netflix gettin' shitted on. For that new price of 17.99 they better come witit. All I need from HBO Max is 4K/Dolby Atmos and I'm super scr8. Hulu fuckin' sucks but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Amazon Prime Movies is aight. Google Play Movies gets no play. Starz is ehh. Showtime sucks.

 

[LennyNero1972]

Those producers can cry all they want this is the new reality.

 

[veritech]

Crime is at a low? Where? Did you read what I wrote? Look at my first sentence.

bruh, you rarely debate with facts.

yes, crime is at a decades low. even in low income areas. smh...

 

[veritech]

Big biz cant help showing their ego and acting like the world needs them more than they need us.. this dude act like humans can’t be entertained without his theatres.. big screen, big seats, big sound lol.. there is no humble factor with these motherfuckers and that’s why enjoy their burn... big biz think they are bigger than the consumer and that’s why I like these kick them in the ego moments when they realize their existence is capable of being useless

alot of us have big screens, big seats and big sound at the crib.

i couldn't be happier about day one home releases. i am looking forward to xmas night. it is going to be an event for me and my girl without disrespectful patrons, overpriced concessions, crying kids and nasty bathrooms.

 

[veritech]

Again, there you go running off...

Did you read what I wrote?


TENT said "I try not to be a thief especially if it is stealing from something I enjoy and want to see grow."

For music, I use amazon prime and listen to old albums. Sometimes I might choose a new list playlist. I am good with that.

For porn I use porn hub. 2 or 3 mins at a time. That is all I need to go to sleep.

nigga, you are a loser.

 

[veritech]

Im very confused as to why hbo and hbo max are not together as one streaming service. Shit is stupid and they just being greedy. Just make one HBO streaming service. And then complete with Disney Amazon Netflix....

if you have hbo you also have hbo max. at least i do.

 

[850credit]

Netflix gettin' shifted on. For that new price of 17.99 they better come witit. All I need from HBO Max is 4K/Dolby Atmos and I'm super scr8. Hulu fuckin' sucks but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Amazon Prime Movies is aight. Google Play Movies gets no play. Starz is ehh. Showtime sucks.

And CinemaHD with a Real Debrid account (32.00 a YEAR) beats them all.

 

[tallblacknyc]

Netflix gettin' shifted on. For that new price of 17.99 they better come witit. All I need from HBO Max is 4K/Dolby Atmos and I'm super scr8. Hulu fuckin' sucks but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. Amazon Prime Movies is aight. Google Play Movies gets no play. Starz is ehh. Showtime sucks.

Like I said with the new Netflix price increase they will generate 2.4 billion dollars extra over the next yr if they same customer base still stays.. 2.4 billion means extra spending money to buy a bunch of unreleased films... I could see them buy a bunch of blockbusters or movies that would have a cult following..people don’t realize the catalog of unreleased films from 2020... Netflix could still buy James Bond.. maybe something like candy man, that new saw flick that Chris rock made(get the black customer base/horror movie fan base with both purchases) as well as other cheap films or expensive flicks.. truth is lot of these streaming services peep that and reacting to Netflix and Disney cause they want to stay Relevant for the new yr and future