Warner Bros. to premiere 2021 movies to both theaters, HBO Max

Could we be seeing the beginning of the end of theaters as we know them?

Warner Bros. announced it will premiere 17 films on the big screen in traditional movie theaters, and at the same time on the home streaming platform HBO Max, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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The company had planned to premiere “Wonder Woman 1984″ in theaters and HBO Max later this month due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

Now, Warner Bros. is doing the same for the following films that are slated for release in 2021:

• “The Suicide Squad”
• “The Matrix 4″
• “Dune”
• “Godzilla vs. Kong”
• “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
• “Little Things”
• “Judas and the Black Messiah”
• “Tom & Jerry”
• “Mortal Kombat”
• “Those Who Wish Me Dead”
• “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It”
• “In The Heights”
• “Reminiscence”
• “Malignant”
• “The Many Saints of Newark”
• “King Richard”
• “Cry Macho”

The films will be available for a month before leaving HBO Max while still being shown in theaters, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Warner Bros. says the plan is only because of the pandemic. But not everyone is sure that moviegoers will return to theaters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The release plan is for the U.S. only, as HBO Max is only available in America, so the films will be released in theaters as scheduled in international markets.

HBO Max is $14.99 a month for a subscription, while some standard HBO subscriptions may have Max access also.

Cinemark has responded to the move, saying that the theater chain is making film-by-film booking decisions for the near term and the company has not received any details from Warner Bros. on the distribution model for next year, The Los Angeles Times reported.

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