McKinley Franklin editor Amazon has acquired the animated film “Merry Little Batman” after it was previously scrapped at HBO Max. “Merry Little Batman” has been picked up alongside the spinoff series, “Bat-Family.” The acquisitions follow the previously announced two-season order for “Batman: Caped Crusader,” which was similarly axed at HBO Max in 2022. “We are excited to partner with Amazon to begin an all-new animated chapter of ‘Batman.’ From the cinematic noir storytelling of ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ to the comedic adventures of ‘Merry Little Batman’ and ‘Bat-Family,’ these new projects ensure that there will be an animated Batman story ready to excite fans of all ages,” said Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios.
HBO Max to Be Renamed ‘Max’ With Addition of Discovery+ Content
12.04.2023 - 17:19 / variety.com
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor It’s not HBO Max — soon it’s just going to be Max. Warner Bros. Discovery officially announced Max as the new name of its flagship streamer, lopping off the HBO part of the name as it mixes in a big bucket of new content from Discovery+ and other new original series. The company announced the name change at a press event Wednesday. The rebuilt Max (on the web at max.com) is set to launch first in the U.S. on May 23, featuring what the company promises will be an average of more than 40 new titles and TV show seasons every month. “Max is the one to watch,” WBD CEO David Zaslav said on stage at the event, with thousands of shows and movies on the service.
Warner Bros. Discovery in January hiked the price of HBO Max without ads from $14.99 to $15.99 per month in the U.S., while the ad-supported plan stayed at $9.99/month.
The HBO Max name was announced in July 2019, back when WarnerMedia was part of AT&T. The idea at the time: The direct-to-consumer streaming service, which debuted in May 2020, included everything on HBO — the company’s gold-standard premium cable network — plus a whole lot more stuff, including original series and library titles. (Unlike many of its peers, WarnerMedia eschewed the “+” naming fad.) With Max, WBD is aiming to signal that the streamer’s breadth of programming now is even broader, pulling in nonfiction favorites from the Discovery side of the house from brands including HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel, TLC and ID. While Max will incorporate a swath of new Discovery+ content, Discovery+ will continue as a standalone service (currently $6.99/month without ads and $4.99/month with ads). WBD appears to have made that decision so it wouldn’t face having to
Warner Bros. Discovery’s David Zaslav Embraces Theatrical in Emotional CinemaCon Debut: ‘This Is Our Time’
Max streaming service, David Zaslav and Warner Bros. embraced theatrical as they showed off their upcoming 2023 slate at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.Zaslav made his debut at the movie theater trade show on Tuesday with a lengthy speech that earned plenty of applause from cinema execs, especially when he reaffirmed his company’s plans to never go back to the day-and-date releasing model that his predecessor, Jason Kilar, rolled out for all of Warner’s theatrical releases in 2021. “We believe in full theatrical windows, we don’t believe in direct to streaming.
Warner Bros. Discovery Boss Says Studio “Does Not Believe In Streaming Movies”
It really does feel like a lifetime ago when Warner Bros. defiantly said, during the beginning of the pandemic, that every film released in 2021 was going to hit theaters and streaming on the same day.
David Zaslav Reassures Theater Owners: ‘We’re in No Rush to Bring the Movie to Max’
Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav came to Las Vegas to put all of his chips on movie theaters. The executive made an appearance at CinemaCon, the annual convention of theatrical exhibitors, to reassure the crowd that the Warner Bros. Pictures Group was not interested in releasing its premium movies directly to streaming platform Max. “At Warner Bros., at DC Studios, we believe that everything is possible. This business could be bigger and stronger than its ever been,” Zaslav said on stage at Caesar’s Palace on Tuesday. “We believe in full windowing of the motion pictures. We do not want to do direct-to-streaming movies. We’re in no rush to bring the movie to Max.”
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav To Take Stage At CinemaCon In Rare Appearance For A Conglom Boss
EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Warner Bros Discovery CEO and President, David Zaslav, will be teeing off Warner Bros studio presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday AM, April 25.
‘South Park’ Showdown 2.0: Paramount Global Strikes Back At Warner Bros Discovery In $50M Countersuit Over Streaming Rights
They haven’t quite killed Kenny, but Paramount Global tonight took a hard swipe at Warner Bros Discovery over South Park.
Netflix to Expand Password Crackdown to U.S. in Q2 With Paid-Sharing Plans
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Netflix said it would stage a “broad rollout” of its paid-sharing plan in the second quarter of 2023, including in the U.S. The streamer announced the news as part of its first quarter 2023 earnings report. As part of Netflix’s crackdown on customers sharing passwords with people outside their household, the company plans to start blocking devices (after a certain period of time) that attempt to access a Netflix account without properly paying. “In Q1, we launched paid sharing in four countries and are pleased with the results,” Netflix said in its Q1 letter to shareholders. “We are planning on a broad rollout, including in the U.S., in Q2.”
Harry Potter: Everything We Know About the TV Series Coming to HBO Max
Harry Potter book series by is being adapted for television. about an HP series since January 2021, but it looks like it's finally happening.
HBO & Max Boss Casey Bloys Deflects Questions About J.K. Rowling Trans Controversy’s Impact On ‘Harry Potter’ Series
Despite author J.K. Rowling coming under fire during the pandemic over her comments on transgender issues, Warner Bros has boldly stood by the Harry Potter and Wizarding World architect, in particular this morning, when it was made official that Warner Bros Discovery has greenlit a Harry Potter Max streaming series.
Wall Street Shrugs Off Max As WBD Shares Dip 6%
Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery dipped nearly 6% today as the company took the wraps off its rebranded streaming service amid a flood of new programming announcements.
Max Rebrand Sees Warner Bros. Discovery Return To Kids Space With Reboots & New Parental Controls
Warner Bros. Discovery disappointed the children’s TV industry last year when it pulled a number of shows from HBO Max, signaling an exit from this part of the business.
After Deliberately Leaving Sports And CNN Out Of Its Max Rebrand Event, What Does Warner Bros Discovery Have Up Its Streaming Sleeve?
Although an introductory video at Wednesday’s Warner Bros Discovery streaming event included clips of NBA star LeBron James and CNN host Anderson Cooper, the rest of the presentation was strikingly sports- and news-free.
Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Drops After Max Presentation
Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Warner Bros. Discovery shares were down 6% at the close of trading Wednesday, on the heels of the company’s expansive presentation of its plans to overhaul the HBO Max streamer. WB Discovery shares have been battered over the past year as the company dealt with post-merger cost-cutting and management realignment. On Wednesday, the stock fell 5.8% to $14.05 on what was a down day overall for the market and a down day for most of WB Discovery’s media rivals, including Disney (down 2.5%), Paramount Global (3.3%) and Netflix (down 2%). The Dow Jones index fell a modest 38.2 points while the Nasdaq dropped 102 points, or 1%. The hourlong WB Discovery presentation was held during trading hours, at 10 a.m. PT on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. Wall Street’s verdict on WB Discovery’s plans is still not in, but the immediate reaction of investors indicates that the company still has a long road ahead in sorting out its profit centers in the age of streaming.
David Zaslav: Even With a Writers Strike, Max Streaming Launch Is ‘Ready to Go Guns Blazing’
Max streaming service, the CEO says that his company is hoping for the best but prepared for the worst as a potential writers strike in Hollywood looms ever closer. “Everybody needs to feel fully valued from start to finish. I think our objective, that everybody gets fairly compensated for the work that they do,” Zaslav said at a press conference Wednesday on the Warner Bros.
Max Launch Date, Programs, Pricing & All You Need To Know About Warner Bros Discovery’s Rebranded Streamer
“This is our time. This is our chance,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said today in his livestream intro for the company’s unveiling of Max, its rebranded streaming service that goes live May 23. “This is our rendezvous with destiny.”
David Zaslav On Possible WGA Strike: “Assuming The Worst From A Business Perspective”; WBD Boss “Optimistic” Deal Will Be Made With Guild
“We’re optimistic that we can that we can get through this in a way that’s fair to all parties,” said Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav today of negotiations between the Writers Guild and the studios and risk of a strike by the scribes.
‘Harry Potter’ Series A Go With J.K. Rowling Executive Producing, Set For 10-Year Run On Max
As expected, a Max Original Harry Potter series was made official today at the Warner Bros. Discovery presser with author J.K. Rowling executive producing. The series, which will stream worldwide on Max, will be a faithful take on her classic Harry Potter books with a new cast.
Warner Bros Discovery Boss David Zaslav Praises Streaming Competition For Getting Into Theatrical Business
As rival motion picture studios were becoming intoxicated on theatrical day-and-date releases tied to their streaming platforms during Covid, and big streamers like Netflix completely sidestepping wide theatrical releases, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav believed in the economics of the big picture.
‘Shazam: Fury Of The Gods’ Hitting Max On Streaming Service’s Relaunch Date
It was announced today at the Warner Bros Discovery streamer presser that this spring’s DC feature, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, would be hitting the newly revamped Max service on its relaunch date, May 23.
‘The Conjuring’ TV Series in Development at HBO Max
BreAnna Bell The horror of “The Conjuring” is getting the TV treatment. HBO Max is developing a TV series based on New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring” universe. The news was announced on Wednesday exclusively during Warner Bros. Discovery’s unveiling of the Max streaming service on the Warner Bros. lot in Los Angeles. According to Warner Bros., “The Conjuring” television series will continue the story established in the feature films. Producer Peter Safran is attached to executive produce the series via his Safran Company banner. James Wan, who also produced and directed several films within the franchise, is in talks to also executive produce. Wan’s Atomic Monster Productions is backing the project alongside Warner Bros. Television.