Mitchell Beaupre
HBO Max’s announcement last month that 2021 will see them release not one, not two, but all of Warner Bros.’ planned releases for the year on the still fresh streaming service the same day as theaters shook the industry by storm. Directors and stars like Christopher Nolan and Timothée Chalamet publicly opposed the decision, and journalists worldwide questioned what this meant for the future of movie theaters, an already struggling industry that took a major hit with the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered a large majority of them over the course of 2020 and into the new year.
The studio shows no signs of budging though, despite rumors that Dune might be saved from this fate due to a potential deal with Legendary. Another Legendary title that was in discussions for a shift in strategy was Godzilla vs. Kong, which just saw its release date pushed up from May 21st, 2021 to March 26th, confirming its release on HBO Max streaming the same day.
Both of those titles, and many more, appear in the new teaser that HBO Max dropped today, promoting all of its upcoming releases. The 40 second tease features dramatic moments from films like those two, along with awards contender Judas and the Black Messiah (February 12th) and summer horror release The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4th). HBO Max wastes no time getting your attention, with text immediately stating, “The biggest Warner Bros. premieres. In theaters and on HBO Max. The exact same day.”
Interestingly, the teaser doesn’t include any release dates, which could mean that some of the currently scheduled titles may see their dates shift, as we saw with Godzilla vs. Kong and Mortal Kombat, which recently saw its date pushed back from January 15th to April 16th.
As of now, all steam is ahead for these titles to remain as part of Warner Bros.’ planned structure for 2021, where the films will come out in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously, being available on the streaming service for one month before shifting to premium video on demand. There’s no doubt that this will continue to be one of the hottest topics of discussion in the movie industry throughout the year.
For now, you can feast your eyes on the brief teaser of HBO Max’s 2021 slate of titles below:
Comments
Loading…