5 Burning Questions for the Movie Business After the Stunning Warner Bros.-HBO Max News

When the news that HBO Max was going to be the day-and-date home for all of Warner Bros.’ major 2021 releases, including the highly-anticipated “Dune,” the industry was shaken. And it didn’t take long at all for Legendary, the co-financiers and co-producers of “Dune,” to come forward with a legal challenge.

Over the past couple of weeks, since the announcement that WarnerMedia is releasing all of the 2021 WB films on HBO Max the same day as in theaters, it appears that almost every filmmaker that has publicly spoken about the move has disagreed with the idea of collapsing the theatrical window. And those that understand the decision are still upset that WarnerMedia didn’t warn filmmakers before the announcement.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaLionsgate has extended Michael Burns’ contract. The company’s vice-chairman’s new deal extends through 2023.

Kate Aurthur editorWhen filmmakers gather these days, the conversation tends to turn to how the coronavirus pandemic has decimated movie theaters — as well as to the related topic of Warner Bros.’ bombshell decision to stream its entire 2021 slate on HBO Max the same day they’re to be released theatrically. During a panel among screenwriters for Variety‘s inaugural FYC Fest, Judd Apatow (Universal’s “The King of Staten Island”), Aaron Sorkin (Netflix’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Emerald

‘It stopped being a party a long time ago,” is the new tagline for season four of HBO Max‘s “Search Party” and ain’t that the truth. Originally on TBS, “Search Party” was seemingly a fun, amusing, hip, funny show about millennials and millennial angst.

After the huge announcement by Warner Bros. to put all their 2021 films on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters, notorious theater-enthusiast Christopher Nolan was quick to blast the game-changing decision.

Eli Countryman Warner Bros. drew attention in early December when it announced plans to simultaneously release all of its films in theaters and on HBO Max throughout 2021.The decision, affecting 17 major films from “The Matrix 4″ to “Dune,” highlights just how important streaming services have become in the past year.

Quebecois director Denis Villeneuve found out about Warner Bros.’ decision to release their entire 2021 slate digitally and theatrically at the same time as everyone else. Now, the “Dune” filmmaker is slamming the studio’s announcement, calling it a franchise killer and promotional tactic for their U.S. streaming service.

Cinema giant AMC Theatres said on Friday that it has completed a debt offering to raise $100 million from investment firm Mudrick Capital Management LP. In a regulatory filing, it said the Dec.

Judd Apatow is calling out Warner Bros.

Kate Aurthur editorDuring a wide-ranging conversation among screenwriters for Variety’s upcoming Virtual FYC Fest, Judd Apatow called the recent decision by Warner Bros.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorIt’s an enormous bet that threatens to alienate Hollywood’s A-list, and it may well make or break HBO Max in the coming year.

Movie theaters have been brought low by coronavirus and even the promise of a vaccine may not be enough to rescue them from financial ruin.

When it was announced that WarnerMedia was going to release every Warner Bros. 2021 film on HBO Max the same day as in theaters, the reactions were immediate and passionate.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer“Wonder Woman 1984” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” both made headlines this year when their respective studios, Warner Bros.

release its 2021 slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. That includes sprawling, special-effects-heavy tentpole pictures such as “The Suicide Squad” and “Dune,” as well as awards season hopefuls like “Judas and the Black Messiah” — all representing some $2 billion in production costs.

Ellise Shafer editorThe Independent Cinema Alliance has expressed disappointment over Warner Bros.’ decision to release the rest of its 2021 film state simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max.In a statement released Monday, the volunteer alliance called for a return to theatrical exclusivity, writing that releasing movies solely in theaters for a period of time is “what drives that value – not streaming.” ICA pointed out that with the COVID-19 vaccine set to be distributed soon, a

Legendary Entertainment, the production company behind movies like Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong, reportedly is considering filing a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the studio’s new release plans for the movies.

As you’ve heard by now, Warner Bros.’ game-changing seismic decision to put all their 2021 films out on HBO Max simultaneously with whatever theaters are open next year, not only shocked and angered people in Hollywood, it actually blindsided many actors, directors, and talents too. We’ve already heard that Legendary Pictures were so appalled with the decision they’re threatening to sue Warner Bros.