AMC Unhappy With HBO Max Movie Streaming Plans

Warner Bros. recently announced that not only would Wonder Woman 1984 release on HBO Max this coming Christmas, concurrently with a theatrical release where available, but its entire 2021 film slate would follow suit.

All throughout 2020, film studios have been playing with different release options. Universal struck gold when it released Trolls: World Tour on PVOD this past April. Likewise, Disney found a modicum of success when it released Mulan directly to its Disney+ service, as a “Premier Access” offering. And with the pandemic showing no signs of ending any time soon, it was only a matter of time before a studio took a more drastic step.

While Warner Bros.’ news is no doubt exciting for fans and cinephiles, America’s largest theater chain, AMC, has come out against the decision. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit many industries hard, but the theater industry has, perhaps, been most affected. Few cinemas are open against the virus outbreak, and even fewer are patrons are attending showings.

Most companies, AMC included, appear to be hanging on by mere threads and are understandably worried about what this move could mean for cinemas. The theater chain initially supported the decision to simultaneously release Wonder Woman 1984, but assumed it would be a one-off, not the start of a new release strategy.

 In fact, AMC Entertainment Holdings CEO Adam Aron spoke with Variety about the decision, stating that:

These coronavirus-impacted times are uncharted waters for all of us, which is why AMC signed on to an HBO Max exception to customary practices for one film only, Wonder Woman 1984, being released by Warner Brothers at Christmas when the pandemic appears that it will be at its height. However, Warners now hopes to do this for all their 2021 theatrical movies, despite the likelihood that with vaccines right around the corner the theatre business is expected to recover.

Clearly, Warner Media intends to sacrifice a considerable portion of the profitability of its movie studio division, and that of its production partners and filmmakers, to subsidize its HBO Max start up. As for AMC, we will do all in our power to ensure that Warner does not do so at our expense. We will aggressively pursue economic terms that preserve our business. We have already commenced an immediate and urgent dialogue with the leadership of Warner on this subject.

As this issue gets sorted out, we are nonetheless encouraged that vaccines protecting society at large against the coronavirus are very much at hand. So, it is our expectation that moviegoers soon will be able once again to delight in coming to our theatres without any worry — viewing the world’s best movies safely in our big seats, with our big sound and on our big screens.

The fearmongering from AMC is certainly understandable, especially as they are still floundering to pull through, recently selling off a large amount of stock to raise funds. A switch such as Warner Bros. is attempting could have ramifications well past the pandemic and possibly forever change the way audiences view new cinematic offerings. After all, HBO Max subscribers won’t be forced to pay anything more to access the content, and if this choice goes well for Warners, its likely more studios will take similar paths.