We’re missing movie theaters. We’re sure you are too. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to go to one, but hopefully, that will change very soon. Because that’s changing, the way that movie companies go about providing us with movies is going to change, too. That’s going to put an end to an experimental partnership between Warner Bros and HBO. In an unexpected twist, though, Warner Bros’ decision to step away from HBO means more than just ending the practice of releasing the company’s movies to them for same-day distribution. They’re also going to cut them out of the deal altogether.
The existing deal between Warner Bros and HBO was signed last year and was considered to be revolutionary. Denied the chance to connect with the audiences that its blockbuster movies would usually attract, Warner Bros decided that HBO would be the perfect partner to put their films in front of viewers for the right price. Warner Bros would still release its films to movie theaters where possible, but it would also make them available through HBO Max. The films become available on HBO Max the same day they’re released in cinemas, so there’s no waiting period for fans who are eager to see the films as soon as possible but have no means of doing so.
A whole sixteen Warner Bros movies were scheduled to be released to HBO Max during 2024. As of the time of writing, those that haven’t yet been released are still expected to go to HBO before they go to any other network. The terms of the existing deal still apply – it’s just that they won’t extend into 2024. That means the fourth “Matrix” film and the”Mortal Kombat” movie will appear on HBO Max. Robert Pattinson’s “The Bat-Man,” however, will not. The release date of that film has slipped into 2024, so it’s now outside the deal’s parameters. It will be interesting to see whether Warner Bros decides to push back the release dates of any of the other films covered by the original agreement, so they don’t run the risk of losing potential movie theater audiences to HBO. HBO should still get an excellent return on the deal based on what’s still on the schedule if those dates hold but losing “The Bat-Man” is a big blow.
Playing around with release dates might not be high on the agenda at Warner Bros – especially when it comes to their biggest-name films. There are often events co-ordinated around the dates of film launches that can’t be shifted and associated products that would also have to be pushed back. In the case of the Batman film, it belongs to a franchise that’s spawned several popular online slots at casino websites. Based on the past success of those online slots, it’s highly likely that another one has been prepared ready for the movie’s launch. If work has been completed on that slot and it’s already been sent to an online slots website ahead of going live, it might be difficult to amend its release date again, having already done so once. There will be similar complications with most of the other films set for a 2024 release.
The decision made by Warner Bros appears to have been precipitated by Regal Cinemas’ decision to re-open its theaters as of April 1st. The company has been quick to secure an exclusive deal with Warner Bros to show all of its remaining movies, but that deal doesn’t interfere with the pre-existing deal with Warner. On the contrary, it creates two separate exclusive agreements. For the rest of the year, there will only be two ways to watch Warner Bros movies. If you want to watch them in a movie theater, you have to go to a Regal Cinemas theater. If you want to stream them at home, you have to do so through HBO Max. AMC, the largest theater chain in the USA, is now probably counting the cost of its decision to attack Warner’s partnership with HBO when it was announced last year. Having spoken out, it’s now lost the chance to show the company’s films at all – and that will remain the case at least until the end of 2024.
When 2024 ends, there will be no way to watch Warner Bros’ new releases on television immediately. They’ll only be released to movie theaters, and Regal’s theaters will be the only ones carrying them in the USA. There will be no competition from streaming or rental. However, there will be a reduced exclusivity period. Rather than the standard ninety-day window that’s existed in the past, Warner has reserved the right to allow streaming companies to start showing the films forty-five days after they premiere in movie theaters. That strikes a better balance between people who want to see the films immediately and are happy to pay for the privilege and people who would rather wait and watch the movies at home. Other companies have followed suit, with Universal setting adjustable windows based on the opening weekend box office performance of its films. The smaller that opening weekend is, the faster it will find its way to streaming services.
What’s surprising in all this is that Warner hasn’t specified that after those forty-five days are up, HBO Max will be the first company to get its hands on the streaming rights. If Warner had been happy with the partnership thus far, this would seem like a no-brainer. Instead, it looks like Warner would prefer to make the movies as widely available as possible or perhaps even announce a new deal with a different partner for 2024. The partnership between HBO and Warner Bros was borne out of strange circumstances and was always intended to be temporary, but few people expected it to end so abruptly. Now that it has, HBO will be left to wonder whether it got everything it expected to get out of the partnership. It still has another seven months of streaming to enjoy before it makes a final decision on that point, but the fact that Warner Bros felt the need to make a public announcement at this early stage is sure to hurt.
