It’s not surprising to learn thatChristopher Nolanis unhappy with Warner Bros.’ decision to release all of its 2021 movies on HBO Max day-and-date with their theatrical releases, but itisa little surprising just how candid he’s being about it all publicly. Last night, Nolan’sfirst wordson the matter broke as he took aim at WarnerMedia’s decision not to tell any of the filmmakers involved about the HBO Max move before their big announcement. And now two additional statements go even further: Nolan is pissed off.
In a statement toTHR, Nolan calls HBO Max “the worst streaming service” (which is objectively not true) and calls out the decision as evidence of WarnerMedia’s dysfunction:
“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service. Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense, and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”
Butthe decision to just not tell a soul about this HBO Max deal was objectively a slap in the face to many filmmakers who have made Warner Bros. their home for years, including Nolan. Speaking to theAssociated Press, Nolan revealed that he and his filmmaking pals are up in arms about the whole thing:
“It’s a unilateral decision that the studio took. They didn’t even tell the people involved. You have these great filmmakers who worked with passion and diligence for years on projects that are intended to be feature films with fantastic movie stars. And they’ve all now been told that they’re a loss-leader for a fledgling streaming service… I’ve never seen everybody so upset about one particular decision. It’s not right. And it’s not a good business decision. It’s all a bit of a mess.”
If you’re wondering how profit participants in films likeDuneandMatrix 4feel about this deal, many are incensed.Wonder Woman 1984’sGal GadotandPatty Jenkinsare gettinghefty one-time payoutsfor putting that superhero sequel on HBO Max, but that’s a one-off – Warner Bros. does not plan on making that the norm for the other 17 films set to be released in 2021, which will also hit HBO Max and theaters on the same day.
THR reports thatThe Suicide Squadwriter/directorJames Gunnwas “not pleased” when presented with a “lackluster formula for compensating him and other profit participants” in that film, andIn the HeightsdirectorJon M. Chuis reportedly “shell-shocked” after he and producerLin-Manuel Mirandaspecifically chose Warner Bros. over streaming services forIn the Heightsbecause they believed the film needed a big theatrical release.
So it makes perfect sense, kinda, that Nolan would go public with some very strong words against this move. He’s long been a proponent for theatrical release, and he almost single-handled is to thank for keeping film cameras alive, brokering a deal between studios and Kodak to keep the film stock company in business. He hasa lotof sway in Hollywood and especially at Warner Bros., and one wonders if he may be looking for a different studio to make his next film.
Stay tuned.I told youthis HBO Max thing was a big deal.
