'Dune' Director Slams Warner Bros. for HBO Max Deal, Reveals How He Learned the News

WarnerMedia has been getting an earful from creatives such as Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins, and Denis Villeneuve all voicing their concerns about the company releasing their entire 2021 slate of films on HBO Max with a new day-and-date model that certainly will place the streaming service in direct competition with traditional theaters and their ability to earn box office dollars.

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.

Dune producers and director Denis Villeneuve are not happy with Warner Bros’ decision to move the movie to HBO Max for streaming in October 2021, foregoing a major wide release.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorThe news this week that HBO Max — finally — was coming to Roku devices was welcomed by millions of customers eager to stream the WarnerMedia service on their TVs and catch “Wonder Woman 1984” when it premieres on Christmas Day.But there’s a wrinkle for some Roku users who want to get HBO Max.Under its agreement with WarnerMedia, Roku is no longer selling the legacy standalone HBO channel through its Roku Channel store.

The deal ended a seven-month standoff between Roku and WarnerMedia, HBO Max’s parent company, insuring the streaming service would be available to Roku’s 46 million active accounts by Christmas Day, when “Wonder Woman 1984” is set to debut on the service.Roku opened at $346 per share on Thursday, easily topping its previous all-time high of $336.17, set earlier this month.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWonder Woman and HBO Max are giving Roku a power-up on Wall Street.On Thursday, shares of Roku were up over 7% in early trading coming the day after the company announced a pact with AT&T’s WarnerMedia to add HBO Max to its streaming devices following months of haggling.Roku’s stock was up over $350 per share into new all-time highs.

Timothée Chalamet closed off his Saturday Night Live hosting debut by donning a Legendary-brand hoodie during the sketch show’s curtain call.

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.

Also Read: 'Dune' Director Denis Villeneuve Says HBO Max Deal Shows Warner Bros Has 'No Love for Cinema'WME represents “The Little Things,” with Denzel Washington and the first film on WB’s 2021 release schedule, and it also represents other high profile talent such as Gal Gadot for “Wonder Woman 1984,” Hugh Jackman for “Reminiscence,” Millie Bobby Brown for “Godzilla vs.

Dune stars Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin have voiced their support for director Denis Villeneuve.The actors took to social media to support the incendiary letter written by the filmmaker in response to Warner Bros’ decision to release the film on HBO Max and in cinemas on the same day.Momoa and Brolin reposted Villeneuve’s essay on Instagram, adding the comment: “Long live the theater experience!”A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)In his letter, Villeneuve said there was “absolutely no

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.

While it appears that some film fans are excited by the prospect of WarnerMedia releasing the entire 2021 Warner Bros. film slate simultaneously on HBO Max and theaters, there are still a lot of folks that don’t agree with the move.

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.

Struggling AMC Entertainment said it risks running out funds in January.

industry-shaking move to put its 2021 slate on HBO Max day-and-date with theaters.Villeneuve, in an op-ed written for Variety, said he only learned about the fate of his film by reading the news, and that he had agreed to push “Dune” back almost a year, from winter 2020 to October 2021. He says a movie of this scope can’t hope to be financially viable and will succumb to piracy.“With this decision, AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history.

Denis Villeneuve I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service.

Dave McNary Film ReporterThe Directors Guild of America has criticized Warner Bros. over the studio’s decision to release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the HBO Max streaming service, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander sent a letter to Warner Bros.

AT&T's WarnerMedia is "ahead ofplan" on its HBO Max streaming service, nearing 12.6 million activated users, and can use the decision to bring its 2021 film slate to the service and cinemas to "accelerate that further" to "penetrate the market faster," the telecom giant's CEO told an investor conference on Tuesday.

The fallout of the controversial move by WarnerMedia to push all of its 2021 WB films to HBO Max and in theaters on the same day is still being felt in Hollywood as the big picture of what this deal means continues to become more clear. Basically, it’s been a really rough week for WarnerMedia, as stars, filmmakers, and guilds have been just a few of the entities upset with this unprecedented move.