In a landmark move, Warner Bros. has announced that it will release its entire 2021 film slate on its HBO Max streaming service and in theatres simultaneously in the U.S..
While Warner Bros. had previously announced it would be doing this with Wonder Woman 1984 this Christmas, the decision to move all of next year’s films to streaming is a historic development in the film industry. These films will be on HBO Max for one month before leaving the service.
Some of Warner Bros.’ 2021 films include The Suicide Squad, Dune, The Matrix 4, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat and Space Jam: A New Legacy. “The hybrid model was created as a strategic response to the impact of the ongoing global pandemic,” said Warner Bros. in a release.
For now, it’s unclear exactly what this all means for Canadians, as HBO Max is not available in Canada. Bell has an exclusive streaming agreement with Warner Media on HBO Max in Canada, although this doesn’t cover every bit of content. For example, Wonder Woman 1984 will not come to Crave when it releases in Canadian cinemas on December 25th, with the film instead hitting the service after its theatrical run.
MobileSyrup has reached out to Bell for confirmation on whether any/all of Warner Bros.’ 2021 films are coming to Crave at the same time. We’ve also contacted Warner Bros. to see what other plans there might be for these films, such as potential video on demand (VOD) releases. We’ll update this story once any responses have been received.
Image credit: Warner Bros.
Source: Warner Media
