Regal Cinemasowner Cineworld has shared their thoughts on theWarner Bros. 2021 hybrid release schedule. Warner Bros. shocked the world yesterday when they announced that they were going to release all of their 2021 movies in theaters and HBO Max simultaneously. This includes tentpoles likeThe Suicide Squad,Dune,Godzilla vs. Kong, andThe Matrix 4. While the thought of being able to watch these movies from home sounds appealing to viewers, it does not look too great for movie theater owners.
Cineworldseems to have been just as caught off guard by the Warner Bros. news as the rest of the world. AMC Theatres made it abundantly clear that they are not happy with the studio’s decision, after originally backing the idea to releaseWonder Woman 1984in theaters and HBO Max starting Christmas Day. Cineworld has hopes that a deal will be made between the studios in the coming future. you may read their statement below.
“Cineworld was aware of WB’s plan to releaseWonder Womandirectly to its streaming service, which has been announced at a time when our cinemas remain closed in the US (Regal) and UK (Cineworld). We are very encouraged by the giant steps achieved recently with regards to theCOVID-19 vaccinationprocess, which is expected to be put in place earlier than previously anticipated. This will generate significant relief for our industry and enable our cinemas to make a great comeback. We believe that at such a time WB will look to reach an agreement about the proper window and terms that will work for both sides. Big movies are made for the big screen and we cannot wait to reopen our cinemas in Q1 in order to offer our customers, as always, the best place to watch a movie.”
Universal Pictures made deals with Cinemark and AMC earlier this year, providing shorter theatrical release windows for certain movies. In addition to the shorter windows, theaters will be compensated with a percentage of thestreaming revenue. It was believed that Warner Bros. went ahead and did something similar, but that has proven to not be the case.
