Warner Bros. to Debut EVERY 2021 Theatrical Movie Simultaneously on HBO Max
Re: Warner Bros. to Debut EVERY 2021 Theatrical Movie Simultaneously on HBO Max
If a theater experience is going to cost me more than waiting for the film to come out on a sale priced DVD, forget it. I will never go to a theater again...at least not a large chain theater. Maybe an art house theater for a summer movie series, but that's it...if I have the time.
- Paul MacLean
- Posts: 7542
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2004 10:26 pm
- Location: New York
Re: Warner Bros. to Debut EVERY 2021 Theatrical Movie Simultaneously on HBO Max
Cinemas are also staffed by teenagers who have no idea what they are doing -- or no knowledge of any movies made earlier than the 2000s.
Someone over on the FSM board relayed this anecdote from a couple of years ago...
A local cinema was about the commence a screening of Ben-Hur, when they encountered "technical difficulties". Apparently the drive they had been given contained sound, but no picture. So they apologized to the audience and offered to refund everyone's money.
At some point during the refund process, one of the cinema lackeys discovered the film did have a picture -- it's just the first several minutes of the film were a black screen. Of course, what none of these Clearasil users realized (because to them, a "old classic movie" is a Twilight sequel) was that the first several minutes of Ben-Hur consists of the overture music -- which does not have any accompanying images.
So the screening eventually went on -- after an hour of confusion and incompetence.
There was also the screening of Superman I attended two years ago -- where the lights suddenly came-up during the scene where Superman finds Lois' dead body in the car. I wanted to complain -- but I didn't want to miss the final scene of the film. I mean really, they don't monitor each screening room? There's no one in the projection booth?
Someone over on the FSM board relayed this anecdote from a couple of years ago...
A local cinema was about the commence a screening of Ben-Hur, when they encountered "technical difficulties". Apparently the drive they had been given contained sound, but no picture. So they apologized to the audience and offered to refund everyone's money.
At some point during the refund process, one of the cinema lackeys discovered the film did have a picture -- it's just the first several minutes of the film were a black screen. Of course, what none of these Clearasil users realized (because to them, a "old classic movie" is a Twilight sequel) was that the first several minutes of Ben-Hur consists of the overture music -- which does not have any accompanying images.
So the screening eventually went on -- after an hour of confusion and incompetence.
There was also the screening of Superman I attended two years ago -- where the lights suddenly came-up during the scene where Superman finds Lois' dead body in the car. I wanted to complain -- but I didn't want to miss the final scene of the film. I mean really, they don't monitor each screening room? There's no one in the projection booth?
- AndyDursin
- Posts: 35789
- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 8:45 pm
- Location: RI
Re: Warner Bros. to Debut EVERY 2021 Theatrical Movie Simultaneously on HBO Max
I get the sense nearly everything upstairs is automated now. I used to have to run out to tell them to fix the focus -- at one point we walked out of, and got refunded for, a screening of THE RELIC because I told them twice to fix it and it was migraine-inducing -- but once they went to digital projection it seemed that problem was completely corrected because I've never run into it again. However, when there is a problem, its usually something like the lights popping on. Probably on a different timer set, and there's likely only one person around to fix it.
Of course digital has some advantages. I'll never forget trying to make sense of THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN when they messed reels up, and showed a much later sequence in the movie near the beginning. Got a refund for that too!
Of course digital has some advantages. I'll never forget trying to make sense of THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN when they messed reels up, and showed a much later sequence in the movie near the beginning. Got a refund for that too!
- AndyDursin
- Posts: 35789
- Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2004 8:45 pm
- Location: RI
Re: Warner Bros. to Debut EVERY 2021 Theatrical Movie Simultaneously on HBO Max
Legendary, which produced GODZILLA V KONG and DUNE, are apparently pissed and might be taking HBO to court over this. Apparently they had a $250 mil sale to Netflix for GODZILLA ready to go but Warner balked.
This is an instance where ownership of the film is involved -- WB is a distributor on those but I don't know how much of the budget they actually put up or are responsible for. Could take some time to sort out.
https://deadline.com/2020/12/warnermedi ... 234651283/
EDIT - found my answer:
This is an instance where ownership of the film is involved -- WB is a distributor on those but I don't know how much of the budget they actually put up or are responsible for. Could take some time to sort out.
https://deadline.com/2020/12/warnermedi ... 234651283/
EDIT - found my answer:
Legendary certainly seems to have the right to challenge WarnerMedia on its decision: Legendary and its partners provided 75% of the $165 million or so net budget of Dune, the adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel that was envisioned to be the first of multiple films exploiting the six-novel series. It put up a similar amount of the funding on the Godzilla vs. King film.