Wonder Woman 1984 will be released in both theaters and HBO Max

[Hector]

What you're seeing means they don't have it on their Xfininty cable box yet. Your account should allow you to log in to HBO Max on something else. I have several smart TV's with HBO Max, Apple TV's etc.. Firestick from Amazon would work too and connect to your TV and those are $20-$30 and you'd have access to a lot more streaming stuff too, lots of free choices.

I’ll get the cheaply priced Firestick then. Need three. Thanks!

[Hector]

WB are releasing pretty much all their other upcoming movies to HBO Max, too. Including Dune.

Great news!

Also the Sopranos prequel movie. Can’t wait for that one.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

Yeah, I just read that any WB movie that is 2020 or later will only be released to HBO Max...no Netflix, etc.

[Goblin19]

Great news for those of us who have worked in the movie theatre business for 20 plus years. Thanks Warner Brothers, thank you for attempting to finish off the industry.

Sorry to put a negative spin on this, but to say the least, this is a kick in the teeth to everyone who works in the movie theater industry, including myself. Disney and WB could be ending much of our business before the pandemic even ends.

To be clear, I don’t begrudge them doing this, especially with Wonder Woman. In the short term, it makes sense, but to announce it for all of 2021 is an attempt to kill the industry I love, or at least control it completely.

I will try to avoid this topic any further because it is clearly a very sore point for me as I consider having to leave the business altogether.

[Falstaff13]

I'm sorry for everyone affected by the pandemic overall and these decisions specifically. I get the frustration with the announcement coming now and covering all of 2021 already, but I am not surprised, just disappointed. I live in North Carolina. There are several states that have been hit much worse by the pandemic than we have, but movie theaters closed in March. They were finally allowed to reopen in early November at 30% capacity, and that limitation has actually caused several just to remain closed. I'm not sure when they will give it another go, especially as the state may have more of a shutdown again. Our numbers are way up as a state right now, so there's at least thoughts of a full shutdown and certainly no expectation cinemas will increase capacity any time soon. So I'm not sure WB and Disney are doing any more specific damage here than the industry is just already feeling. There's no question it is reshaping things.

I'm a community theatre person. I've directed multiple shows, acted in many, stage managed far more. Currently, I'm head of our theatre's board, and we aren't sure we'll reopen. We basically limp through good months, and we've had no income since February. Whatever we do when we come out on the other side of this, it will be very different.

[Goblin19]

It’s brutal for live theatre, film festivals, concert venues and any other large gathering sites. I fear many will not make it back. I wish you luck. Many of us need it right now.

[Goblin19]

And apologies for hijacking the thread. It’s a very sensitive topic right now.

[Falstaff13]

And apologies for hijacking the thread. It’s a very sensitive topic right now.

I totally understand, and my heart goes out to all affected.

[monitor_ep]

I have not been to the theater since Aquaman. I have work on turning on my middle bedrooms into a Home Theater so my boyfriend & I can just go in there sit in the theater reclining seats, crank up the surround sound and enjoy watching the movie. Heck I even turned the closet into a snack room. The bonus when one of us has to go to the bathroom we can pause the movie!!! With more people putting in there own home theaters in there house with streaming services/blu-ray players I can see theaters going away

Now this comes from a guy who used to travel 2hrs to go and watch a movie in Houston at the AMC theater and use my AMC rewards card. I would spend the day in Houston including going to the club at night and then spend some quality time with...

.Now I will have no problem signing up for HBO Max.

[alex]

I cant see how movies coming out on this type of platform will make money, its going to be straight U know where for free, before hand U had to wait around for a decent copy, and now its instant.

[Confessional]

I fully understand the dilemma (entrenched within it myself) however reinvention is inevitable and this should shock no one, as the division between TV and everything else has been blurred for years on the path to full chimera. WB, 17 movies… if that's the perceived tipping point, I don't think people have been paying attention.

Like many, I love and support the art of film, but am well aware that most studios/giant-media-corps alike largely abandoned direct financing of creative quality a long time ago. One result (of many) is that we are inundated with terrible to mediocre product built on shareholder producers and amortized distribution. Bad product can make money as long as they cheaply acquired and/or made, and even sometimes when they are not with international options. If you scroll through the countless entries on Netflix or Prime long enough you'll find thousands of examples of this model, many of which are newer movies… filler of epic proportion. While this presents new opportunity for the small studio or indie filmmaker, something worthy of your time/support is also now lost in a sea of awful.

Which loops me back around to movie theaters who have been late to embrace innovation and remain relevant to their patrons. The mostly recent transitions to comfort seating, better and diverse A/V systems, larger choice of concessions, events such hosting film talks/discussion, and affordable renting of theaters for private screenings have all appeared within the rebirth of indie theaters over the past 20 years. This all coincides with the ability to and popularity of building your own in home theater on DVDs and fast broadband.

Celebrity and media consumption is the 21 C pop culture, sadly, but inside of this I think we lose sight that if a quality (or even with just some appreciated qualities) product is made available in a fun, comfortable, safe, and unique environment audiences can be nurtured. Movie theaters (owner/companies as well as operators) need to understand this transition from a buyer/consumer/PoP model to one that is rooted in the patronage/fandom of place (what we in the arts refer to as creative placemaking). If you don't like the future-now, look to the past… the long-running heyday of western cinema is filled with full days/weekends of activity… entertainment, education, live interaction, and unique (cornerstone architecture) fun building a community center point, rather than what we know as the contemporary corporate theater, shopping mall, generic suburban park, etc.

[Earth 2 Chris]

WB's announcement is pretty shocking, and potentially damaging. I can definitely understand those working in the cinema industry not being happy about this. I get putting out WW84 on HBO Max, knee deep in the pandemic, with numbers rising. But with vaccines on the way and looking to be fully distributed by summer of 2021, it seems rash to jump up and say "Everything's on HBO Max next year too!". I think the studios are playing chicken with one another, and WB was the first one to drive through while the rest steered away.

Chris

[Hector]

Gal Gadot has a message...

https://www.facebook.com/GalGadot/videos/2836570839997383

[enyawd72]

I understand people being upset, but honestly this has been coming for a long time, even before the pandemic. As home theatre becomes more and more popular, with bigger and bigger TVs and Blu-ray, my moviegoing had already seen a major decline.

The closest decent theatre to me is a good 45 minutes away, plus when you factor in the high cost of tickets, and new assigned seating policies, forget it. I don't need to drive nearly two hours, spend almost $50 on tickets and concessions, then be told where I'm going to sit in order to watch a movie. I'll just wait three months, spend $20 on the Blu-ray and plop down in front of my 75 inch screen and enjoy myself a hell of a lot more. No people talking, no screaming kids, and half the price? No wonder theatres are folding.

[monitor_ep]

My brother wanted to go to a theater that was really upgraded so the four us went. The food court was amazing, you can order a whole pizza. We sat in the balcony section with assigned seats that we picked out. Going in I was thinking this was going to be great. When the movie started I discovered the problem. The balcony had waiters, they would keep coming to you to place your order or to get refills. Then walk in front of you while the movie was on, it was so distracting. I decided I was not going back there,