ARTICLE
Warner Bros' 2021 movies will debut on HBO Max along with cinemas
By Rachelle / 04 Dec 2020 (Friday)
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WarnerMedia made a bold move in announcing its 2021 slate of movies will debut on HBO Max and in cinemas concurrently. This combo was first announced for Wonder Woman 1984 and it looks like they're full-steam ahead on the idea even before seeing how Wonder Woman will perform.
What does this mean?
The entire Warner Bros 2021 theatrical slate will premiere on HBO Max for the movies’ respective first month of release, concurrent with a global theatrical release.
Following the one-month HBO Max access period, the movies will then leave the platform and continue theatrically in the U.S. and international territories.
What does this really mean?
HBO Max is still unavailable in many regions (Singapore included) but dropping their movies on the streaming platform pretty much confirms the movie is allowed to be theatrically released internationally.
A solid example for this is Robert Zemeckis' The Witches which was released on HBO Max in late October and was available in cinemas in Singapore on November 5.
Wonder Woman 1984 has seen its opening date pushed back more times you can remember but ever since it was announced that the highly-anticipated movie will also be making its rounds on HBO Max, its international theatrical release was solidly locked down.
If anything, WarnerMedia is giving moviegoers assurance that the movies they have been looking forward to seeing will come to light and our collective feelings will no longer be played with, much like it was these past few months when movies were announced for release but then get taken off schedules entirely.
What you can look forward to:
Malignant
Opening date: TBC, sometime in 2021
Malignant is an upcoming American horror film directed by James Wan from a screenplay by Akela Cooper based on an original story by Wan, Ingrid Bisu and Cooper. It stars Annabelle Wallis, Jake Abel, George Young, Maddie Hasson, Michole Briana White, Jacqueline McKenzie and Mckenna Grace.
Mortal Kombat
Opening date: 14 January 2021
Mortal Kombat is an upcoming American martial arts fantasy action film directed by Simon McQuoid in his feature directorial debut, with a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham and a story by Oren Uziel and Russo. It is based on the video game franchise of the same name created by Ed Boon and John Tobias, serving as a reboot to the Mortal Kombat film series. The film will feature an ensemble cast including Ludi Lin, Joe Taslim, Tadanobu Asano, Jessica McNamee, Mehcad Brooks, Josh Lawson, Chin Han, and Hiroyuki Sanada.
The Little Things
Opening date: 28 January 2021
The Little Things is an upcoming American crime thriller film written and directed John Lee Hancock, and produced by Hancock and Mark Johnson. The film stars Denzel Washington, Rami Malek and Jared Leto, following a story about clashes between a Kern County deputy and a Los Angeles detective occur during the investigation of a murder.
Tom & Jerry
Opening date: 4 March 2021
One of the most beloved rivalries in history is reignited when Jerry moves into New York City’s finest hotel on the eve of “the wedding of the century,” forcing the event’s desperate planner to hire Tom to get rid of him in Tom & Jerry, an upcoming live-action/animated comedy film based on the characters of the same name created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It stars the famous cat and mouse duo of the film, Tom and Jerry, alongside Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Peña, Rob Delaney, Colin Jost, and Ken Jeong.
Godzilla vs Kong
Opening date: 20 May 2021
In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity's fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages. As Monarch embarks on a perilous mission into uncharted terrain and unearths clues to the Titans' origins, a human conspiracy threatens to wipe the creatures, both good and bad, from the face of the earth forever.
Godzilla vs Kong is a sequel to Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Kong: Skull Island, and the fourth film in Legendary's MonsterVerse. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Shun Oguri, Eiza González, Jessica Henwick, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler, and Demián Bichir.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
Opening date: 3 June 2021
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It aka The Conjuring 3 is a sequel to 2013's The Conjuring and 2016's The Conjuring 2, and as the eighth installment overall in the Conjuring Universe franchise. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will be reprising their roles as paranormal investigators and authors Ed and Lorraine Warren, with Ruairi O'Connor, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Julian Hilliard also starring. The film is based on the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a murder trial that took place in 1981 in Connecticut.
Space Jam: A New Legacy
Opening date: 15 July 2021
Space Jam: A New Legacy is an upcoming American live-action/traditional-animated sports comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film is a sequel to 1996's Space Jam and stars basketball player LeBron James, Don Cheadle and Sonequa Martin-Green. The film also features the Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Tweety, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, and many more.
The Suicide Squad
Opening date: 5 August 2021
The Suicide Squad is an upcoming American superhero film based on the DC Comics antihero team the Suicide Squad. It is intended to be a soft reboot and standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016), and the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Directed by James Gunn, the film stars an ensemble cast that include Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Peter Capaldi, Sylvester Stallone, and Viola Davis.
In The Heights
Opening date: 2 September 2021
In The Heights is an upcoming American musical drama film directed by Jon M. Chu from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The film is based on the 2007 Tony-award winning stage musical of the same name by Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The film stars Anthony Ramos in the role of Usnavi de la Vega with Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, Stephanie Beatriz, Dascha Polanco, and Jimmy Smits.
Dune
Opening date: 30 September 2021
Dune is an upcoming epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, which will cover roughly the first half of the book. The film stars an ensemble cast including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.
King Richard
Opening date: 18 November 2021
King Richard is an upcoming American biographical drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin. The film follows Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis players Venus and Serena Williams. It stars Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Dylan McDermott.
Matrix 4
Opening date: 23 December 2021
The Matrix 4 is an upcoming American science fiction action film and the fourth installment in The Matrix franchise. The film is produced, co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed and co-wrote three of the previous films with her sister Lilly. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson and Daniel Bernhardt reprise their roles from previous films in the series.
Disclaimer: The opening dates listed above are based on information that was previously announced and are subject to change.