After a year of daily film premieres on HBO Max in 2021, Warner Bros. films. will return to the exclusive showcases of cinemas next year.
According to a Deadline report on Tuesday, Warner Bros. closed a deal with Cineworld, owner of Regal Cinemas, for an exclusive 45-day window starting in 2022. This means that Warner Bros. films. at least 45 days before they can appear on streaming or VOD platforms, including Warner’s HBO Max streaming service.
This is a far cry from Warner’s 2021 strategy to release movies simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming service. HBO Max’s daily film premieres made some sense when they were announced in December 2020, due in large part to the uncertainty of cinema openings during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, as countries begin to see considerable declines in the cases of COVID-19, it appears that Warner is once again comfortable with its films arriving exclusively in theaters.
Regal Cinemas will also screen all 2021 Warner films – as Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong, and The Matrix 4 – as part of the agreement. The rest of Warner’s 2021 release schedule will continue to be available for broadcast on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters and will remain on the broadcast platform for 31 days.
This new deal gives cinemas an exclusivity window significantly smaller than in the previous 90 days, but which reflects similar deals made by other studios like Universal and Paramount. Last year, Universal reached an agreement with AMC and Cinemark to release its films in theaters for at least 17 days, or 31 if the film yields more than $ 50 million. Meanwhile, Paramount has agreed to a 45-day cinema window for its larger films, such as A peaceful place, part IIand a 30-day window for smaller films.