In addition to the announcement of the merger of HBO Max and Discovery +, cancellation of films and free streaming with advertising, Warner Bros. strategy of direct-to-the-atrical theatrical releases will end.
According to Decider, HBO Max will make big changes when it comes to movie releases on the platform. During Warner Bros. Discovery’s budget meeting, CEO David Zaslav confirmed that the company will leave the “Popcorn Project” behind and will consider on a case-by-case basis when the films will be made available to subscribers.
The “Popcorn Project” mentioned by Zaslav is the company’s way of internally referring to the strategy of releasing movies on HBO Max only 45 days after they hit theaters. The strategy was created by former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and was highly profitable for streaming by attracting large numbers of subscribers, first with a simultaneous theatrical and platform release in 2021, followed by a switch to a premiere of 45 days. after launch in 2022.
That strategy helped HBO Max close 2021 with 73.8 million subscribers, an increase of 11 million over the previous year. At the budget meeting held on Thursday, August 4, joint HBO Max and Discovery figures of 92.1 million subscribers were announced, without determining how many subscribers HBO Max has earned since 2021.
The project granted subscribers access to major releases like “Batman” and Robert Pattinson’s “Fantastic Beasts: Secrets of Dumbledore” only 45 days after their theatrical release.
“This idea of expensive movies that go straight to streaming, we can’t find a cheap argument for it,” Zaslav said. “We are making a strategic change. As part of this, we went to town to talk about our commitment to cinemas and movie windows. Several films will come out with shorter windows. “
So, with this new strategy, films like Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis”, which is in theaters, will not stream 45 days after release. However, a source assured Collider that the film will eventually arrive on the streaming platform.
Under the previous strategy, “Elvis” would be coming to HBO Max next week, but now there is no date for that.
The HBO Max post will stop receiving releases shortly after it was shown in theaters and first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
