It is just as well that
WarnerMedia managed to launch its subscription streaming service HBO Max in
March of 2020; that was when the COVID-19 outbreak became a true pandemic,
leading to an initial period when everyone who could, stayed home. As such,
WarnerMedia’s film studio Warner Bros. had an exclusive platform on hand to
premiere some of their films when cinemas were limited, as with “Wonder Woman
1984” in December and “Godzilla vs. Kong” this past March. Note that the movies
were meant to premiere “traditionally,” and used HBO Max only due to COVID theater
limitations. But Warner has plans to produce more films just for HBO Max
streaming.
So it is said on CNBC, that all through next year Warner
Bros. Pictures is expected to do no less than 10 films that will all be
streaming exclusives on HBO Max. This was said in a statement by WarnerMedia
CEO Jason Kilar, during a second-quarter earnings call of the media giant’s
parent company AT&T this past Thursday, July 22. Kilar explained that the
unprecedented success of the streaming portion of their past simultaneous
cinematic-HBO Max releases have proven the earning power of at-home viewers,
even if theatrical releases remain important to Warner Bros. Pictures.
As Kilar puts it, while the
motion picture format absolutely matters in theaters, “They also matter at home
and, absolutely, in terms of the response that we’ve gotten not just from that
title but from all of our day in day titles. We feel very good about the
response that consumers have given it in the home.” The figures speak for themselves
too. By adopting a day-and-date premiere for their WB Pictures releases, they
have upped their subscriber numbers significantly. In the US that totals 47
million with 2.8 million added from the first quarter.
But these circumstances only came
by due to the pandemic, and by 2022 WarnerMedia will institute a distinction
between HBO Max exclusive and theatrical films. The latter will run 45 days in
cinemas at minimum, while the former will stay streaming unless the films are
nominated for the Academy Awards; in which case only those movies will be given
limited theatrical runs at select locations. Jason Kilar notes that the times
have changed status quo significantly that the pre-pandemic format of cinematic
films waiting some length of time before going streaming is no longer feasible.
Image courtesy of JoBlo.com
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