New York Daily News

All Warner flicks open on vid in ’21

- BY KATE FELDMAN

Warner Bros. isn’t risking nextt year’s movie slate on anotherr COVID-19 shutdown.

The studio announced Thursdayy that all its 2021 movies will debut inn theaters and on HBO Max simultaneo­usly, a one-year distributi­on deal that makes all films available in areas where the pandemic has still shut down theaters.

“We’re living in unpreceden­ted times which call for creative solutions, including this new initiative for the Warner Bros. Pictures Group,” Ann Sarnoff, CEO of Warner Media Studios, said in a statement.

“No one wants films back on the big screen more than we do. We know new content is the lifeblood of theatrical exhibition, but we have to balance this with the reality that most theaters in the U.S. will likely operate at reduced capacity throughout 2021.”

The 2021 slate includes “The Matrix 4,” the “Dune” remake, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of “In the Heights” (photo), “Tom & Jerry,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the “Sopranos” prequel “The Many Saints of Newark” and “The Suicide Squad.”

The movies will be available on HBO Max for a one-month window, then continue their run only in theaters through the normal distributi­on window.

It’s unclear when they will return to the streaming service.

“This hybrid exhibition model enables us to best support our films, creative partners and moviegoing in general throughout 2021,” Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures Group, said in a statement.

“We have a fantastic, wide-ranging slate of titles from talented and visionary filmmakers next year, and we’re excited to be able get these movies in front of audiences around the world.”

The seemingly unpreceden­ted decision follows a year of turmoil for the movie industry, which has been forced to shift almost all releases to video on demand or delay them.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States