An avalanche of criticism continued to roll down on Warner Bros.’ this week in response to the studio’s announcement that it would release all its 2021 films on HBO Max on the same day that they open in theatres.
More of the studio’s top talent and production partners sounded off, complaining that they had been blindsided by the change. Denzel Washington is said to be upset that his upcoming film The Little Things would go day and date without having any forewarning or opportunity to re-negotiate terms. Director James Wan had negotiated what seemed to be a sweet deal with WB on the upcoming release of his horror film Malignant, with the filmmaker earning 13% of the first dollar gross.
However, now that it is a day-and-date release with HBO Max his film is likely to generate much lower box office grosses than he had been expecting. Production companies Legendary (Dune, Godzilla) and Starlight (Malignant) are said to be preparing legal action to force proper compensation after the studio’s change in plans.