In the most seismic shift by a Hollywood studio yet during the pandemic, Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that all of its 2021 film slate — including a new "Matrix" movie, "Godzilla vs. Kong" and the Lin-Manuel Miranda adaptation "In the Heights" — will stream on HBO Max at the same time the films play in theaters.
Among the myriad release plan changes wrought by the pandemic, no studio has so fully embraced streaming as a lifeline. But after disappointing domestic ticket sales for "Tenet," and with the majority of U.S. theaters currently closed, the AT&T-owned Warner Bros. will turn to a hybrid distribution model next year. Films will debut simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. After one month, they will stop streaming and continue to play only in theaters.
The move follows Warner Bros.' decision to put "Wonder Woman 1984" on HBO Max in December, along with a concurrent theatrical run. If that pivot sent shock waves through the industry, Thursday's announcement rattled Hollywood to the core.
"Given the unprecedented time that we're in, we needed a creative solution to address our fans, our filmmakers and our exhibitors," said Ann Sarnoff, chief executive of WarnerMedia Studios.
Sarnoff called it a "temporary solution" and a "one-year plan." Warner Bros.' move amounts to an acknowledgment that any full rebound for theaters is still a year or more away.
'Good Lord Bird' film wins accolade
Author James McBride and editor Chris Jackson were among those honored Thursday night by the Center for Fiction. McBride and Showtime received an On Screen Award for the acclaimed adaptation of his prizewinning historical novel "The Good Lord Bird," which starred Ethan Hawke as the radical 19th century abolitionist John Brown. Jackson, whose authors range from Ta-Nehisi Coates to Bryan Stevenson, was given the Medal for Editorial Excellence Award. Jackson runs the One World imprint of Penguin Random House. The Center for Fiction awarded its First Novel Prize to Raven Leilani for "Luster," the story of a young Black woman's affair with a married, middle-aged white man.
Racketeering case: The rapper Casanova has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit racketeering, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and firearms possession after surrendering to law enforcement in a gang-related federal racketeering case. The New York City rapper, whose legal name is Caswell Senior, was charged in an indictment unsealed this week against 18 members of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation gang, which authorities say operated in New York City and other parts of New York state.
Associated Press
