Christopher Nolan heavily criticises Warner Bros over HBO Max deal
Director Christopher Nolan has heavily criticised major studio Warner Bros following the announcement of a considerable and extensive new partnership with streaming platform HBO Max.
In a turbulent year which has decimated the film industry, Warner Bros announced their shock new collaboration with HBO Max which will see its entire 2021 slate made available to HBO Max simultaneously. The landmark move means all of their 17 blockbuster films released next year, such as Matrix 4, Dune, The Suicide Squad and many more, will be available to stream immediately after release.
Responding to the news, Nolan said his reaction was “disbelief….especially the way in which they did.”
“There’s such controversy around it because they didn’t tell anyone,” said Nolan in an interview with ET Online. “It’s very, very, very, very messy. A real bait and switch. Yeah, it’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work.”
Nolan added: “In 2021, they’ve got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they’ve got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences.
“They’re meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences… and now they’re being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service — for the fledgeling streaming service — without any consultation.”
You can see a full list of the planned releases from Warner Bros, below.
- January 29 – The Little Things
- March 5 – Tom and Jerry
- March 12 – The Many Saints of Newark
- April 16 – Reminiscence
- May 21 – Godzilla vs. Kong
- June 4 – The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
- June 18 – In the Heights
- July 16 – Space Jam: A New Legacy
- August 6 – The Suicide Squad
- October 1 – Dune
- November 5 – Elvis
- November 19 – King Richard
- December 22 – Matrix 4
To be announced:
- Judas and the Black Messiah
- Malignant
- Mortal Kombat
- Those Who Wish Me Dead
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