Warner Bros. Pictures' shocking decision to bring its entire 2021 film slate straight to HBO Max on the same day as their theatrical releases was a huge stunner amongst fans and even though a lot of people find this new development delightful, there are still some who criticize that shake-up. One of them is acclaimed director Christopher Nolan who worked on the legendary The Dark Knight trilogy and he wasn't so shy about sharing his feelings regarding the drastic business move.
If you haven't been keeping up with the news lately, the production company announced last week that all of their 2021 offerings will also be released via HBO Max, coinciding with their theatrical release dates. This includes films such as The Matrix 4, Dune, Space Jam: A New Legacy, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Godzilla vs. Kong, Tom & Jerry, The Suicide Squad, and the much-awaited Snyder Cut of Justice League.
In an official statement the former DC director released via The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan denounced the plans of Warner Bros. and pretty much buried the newly-launched HBO streaming service, going as far as calling it the worst streaming platform. Yikes. He said: "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."
While I'm no industry expert, I think you can't really fault Warner Bros. for making such a bold and risky decision. After all, we're still in the middle of a global health crisis and it proved to be a major factor in box office sales. We still don't know if this move pays off but if it ultimately becomes a success, then I'm guessing it's going to be beneficial not only for WB but for the filmmakers and actors as well. Here's to hoping though that this COVID-19 pandemic finally subsides so things can get back to normal.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman 1984 is hitting cinemas and HBO Max on December 25.
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