Movie Theaters Considering Slashing Prices of Warner Brothers Movies With HBO Max Releases

With Warner Brothers and HBO Max shaking the landscape of big movie releases for the entirety of [...]

By Brandon Davis

With Warner Brothers and HBO Max shaking the landscape of big movie releases for the entirety of their 2021 slate, movie theaters are looking to combat the move. The studio announced all 17 of its theatrical titles slated for release next year would be simultaneously released in theaters and on their HBO Max streaming service. Wonder Woman 1984, on December 25, will be the first movie to do this and was announced in such an order but earlier this month the studio announced every 2021 title would follow suit. With theaters expecting a significant drop in turnout as HBO Max subscribers will have the ability to watch the movies from home at no added cost on top of their subscription, the ticket prices might just get slashed.

In fact, it looks like some of the biggest movie theater chains are going to consider not showing some of the Warner Brothers titles which will simultaneously be available from home, all together.

"Mega theater circuits including AMC Theatres and Cinemark Theatres, meanwhile, have issued terse statements saying they will be forced to consider carrying Warners movies on a title-by-title basis," THR reports. "Insiders say some exhibitors are considering slashing individual ticket prices as low as $3 to $5 for any Warners title and would want to keep 75 percent to 80 percent of the revenue, meaning that the studio would get almost nothing back. In a Dec. 11 filing with the SEC, AMC placed partial blame on Warners' decision in a warning that it could run out of money by the end of January 2021."

The slate of movies going to HBO Max and theaters includes Godzilla vs. Kong, The Matrix 4, The Suicide Squad, Space Jam, and more. In a year full of unprecedented moves to combat the global pandemic obliterating movie theater attendance in 2020, at times taking the option completely out of existence, studios have made plenty of surprising moves to try to stay afloat. Universal released several movies on demand, Disney dropped Mulan on Disney+ for an added fee and will be releasing Soul on December 25 for no extra cost. However, Warner Brothers electing to drop its entire 2021 slate on a streaming service has clearly been more of a blow to theaters for the near future than the other decisions seem to have been.

Still, Wonder Woman 1984 is projected to have a $60 million worldwide box office debut later this month, despite being available on HBO Max where thee streaming service is available.

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(Photo: Michal Cizek / AFP via Getty Images)

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