Warner Bros. will return to theatrical releases in 2022, ending its HBO Max experiment

Warner Bros. will return to releasing its theatrical films exclusively in theaters next year, Deadline reports. The decision ends the studio’s 2021 experiment of releasing major films like Wonder Woman 1984, Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, The Suicide Squad, Dune, and The Matrix 4 simultaneously on its HBO Max streaming service and in theaters for the first 30 days they’re released.

When Warner Bros. films come back to theaters in 2022, Regal theaters will once again have full exclusivity (with no HBO Max or paid streaming rental competition). But that exclusivity window will be for a much shorter amount of time: Regal will only have a 45-day theatrical exclusivity window, half of the 90-day standard that existed in years past.

That seems odd, are they saying Regal and Regal only will have exclusivity, or are they using Regal to mean theaters (or are all the other theaters dead and only Regal is left... )

Regal Cinemas To Reopen In April; Parent Cineworld & Warner Bros Reach Multi-Year Deal To Show WB Films In U.S. & UK

Cineworld has set plans to reopen its Regal cinemas in the U.S. for the first time in six months. The phased process will start with a limited number of cinemas opening for WB/Legendary’s Godzilla Vs Kong on April 2 (note the movie opens on March 31). Regal locations will open more widely on April 16, in time for New Line’s Mortal Kombat. Cineworld and Warner Bros have also hatched a multi-year agreement that will see the No. 2 global exhibitor show the studio’s 2021 theatrical and HBO Max day-and-date titles in the U.S. as of their theatrical release. Then, beginning in 2022, Warner Bros theatrical films will have a 45-day window of theatrical exclusivity at Cineworld’s Regal chain.

I agree, the wording is confusing. I think "theatrical exclusivity" means "only theaters" and not "only Regal".

Everything Coming to and Leaving HBO Max in April 2021

Coming to HBO Max

April 1
A Shock To The System, 1990 (HBO)
Abandon, 2002 (HBO)
Adam’s Rib, 1949
All Is Lost, 2013 (HBO)
Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl
Barbarosa, 1982 (HBO)
Black Dynamite, 2009
Blindness, 2008 (HBO)
The Bodyguard, 1992
Boogie Nights, 1997
Bringing Up Baby, 1938
The Butcher’s Wife, 1991 (HBO)
Caddyshack, 1980
The Collection, 2012 (HBO)
The Color Purple, 1985
Dante’s Peak, 1997 (HBO)
Dark Shadows, 2012 (HBO)
Dead Silence, 2007 (HBO)
Dirty Harry, 1971
The Eagle Has Landed, 1977 (HBO)
Early Man, 2018 (HBO)
Easy Rider, 1969
Ella Enchanted, 2004 (HBO)
The Evil That Men Do, 1984 (HBO)
Eye For An Eye, 1996 (HBO)
Fear, 1996 (HBO)
genera+ion, Season 1 Part One Finale
Ghost Rider, 2007
Goodfellas, 1990
The Great Pottery Throwdown, Max Original Season 4 Premiere
Green Lantern, 2011
Hardball, 2001 (HBO)
Happy Endings
Haywire, 2012 (HBO)
In & Out, 1997 (HBO)
Kicking & Screaming, 2005 (HBO)
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, 2017 (HBO)
Lassiter, 1984 (HBO)
Leatherface Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, 1990 (HBO)
Let’s Go To Prison, 2006 (HBO)
The Longest Yard, 1974 (HBO)
Man Up, 2015 (HBO)
Made for Love
The Mask of Zorro, 1998
The Man With The Iron Fists, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
Missing In Action 2 – The Beginning, 1985 (HBO)
Missing In Action, 1984 (HBO)
My Super Ex-Girlfriend, 2006 (HBO)
The Nanny
The Natural, 1984
Now, Voyager, 1942
One Day, 2011 (HBO)
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, 1985 (HBO)
Police Academy 3: Back In Training, 1986 (HBO)
Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol, 1987 (HBO)
Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach, 1988 (HBO)
Police Academy 6: City Under Siege, 1989 (HBO)
Police Academy: Mission To Moscow, 1994 (HBO)
Primal Fear, 1996 (HBO)
Reasonable Doubt, 2014 (HBO)
Red Dawn, 1984 (HBO)
The Return, 2006 (HBO)
Risky Business, 1983 (HBO)
Roger & Me, 1989
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1939
Sneakers, 1992 (HBO)
Space Jam, 1996
Speed 2 Cruise Control, 1997 (HBO)
Spellbound, 2003 (HBO)
Stuart Little, 1999
The Shack, 2017 (HBO)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, 2006 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family, 2011
Wanderlust, 2012 (HBO)
The Warriors, 1979 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
The Watch, 2012 (HBO)
White Noise, 2005 (HBO)
The Wild Life, 2016 (HBO)
Within, 2016 (HBO)
Wolves At The Door, 2017 (HBO)

April 2
On the Spectrum

April 3
Ted, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO)

April 4
Q: Into The Storm, Documentary Series Finale (HBO)

April 5
Hard, Season 2 Finale (HBO)

April 6
Genndy Tartokovksy’s Primal, Season 1B

April 7
South Side, Season 1
Exterminate All The Brutes, Documentary Series Premiere (HBO)

April 9
Intemperie (Aka Out In The Open), 2019 (HBO)
The Other Two, Season 1
A Tiny Audience, Season 2 Finale (HBO)

April 10
The New Mutants, 2020 (HBO)

April 11
The Nevers, Drama Series Premiere (HBO)

April 13
Our Towns, Documentary Premiere (HBO)

April 15
Infinity Train, Max Original Season 4 Premiere

April 16
Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021

April 17
The Dark Knight Rises, 2012 (HBO)

April 18
Mare of Easttown, Limited Series Premiere (HBO)

April 20
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

April 22
1,2,3 All Eyes On Me, 2020(HBO)
First Ladies, 2020
Princess Cut, 2020 (HBO)
Rizo, 2020 (HBO)

April 23
El Robo Del Siglo (Aka Heist Of The Century) (HBO)
A Black Lady Sketch Show, Season 2 Premiere (HBO)

April 24
Dreamgirls, 2006 (HBO)

April 26
The Artist, 2011

April 29
Looney Tunes Cartoons, Season 1D

Leaving HBO Max

April 11
Reservoir Dogs, 1992

April 15
Lego DC Shazam: Magic And Monsters!, 2020

April 30
3 Godfathers, 1949
9½ Weeks, 1986
Above The Rim, 1994 (HBO)
The Adventures Of Robin Hood, 1938
Adventures Of Tom Thumb And Thumbelina, 2002 (HBO)
After Hours, 1985
An American Werewolf In London, 1981 (HBO)
Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 2012 (HBO)
Being There, 1979
Bullitt, 1968
Bundle Of Joy, 1956
Can’t Buy Me Love, 1987 (HBO)
The Candidate, 1972
Cast Away, 2000 (HBO)
Catwoman, 2004
Chasing Liberty, 2004
Cheyenne Autumn, 1964
Cimarron, 1960
Critters 2, 1988
Critters 4, 1992
Dead Man Walking, 1995 (HBO)
Diner, 1982
Dirt, 2017
The Exorcist, 1973
Femme Fatale, 2002 (HBO)
Fool’s Gold, 2008
Get Carter, 1971
Godzilla: King Of The Monsters, 2019 (HBO)
Godzilla Vs. Kong, 2021
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights, 2011
The Green Mile, 1999
Grumpier Old Men, 1995
Grumpy Old Men, 1993
The Hangover Part II, 2011 (HBO)
A Hidden Life, 2019 (HBO)
The Hills Have Eyes II, 2007 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Hills Have Eyes, 2006 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, 2012
Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, The, 2014
Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, The, 2013
How The West Was Won, 1962
I Am Sam, 2002
The Invisible Man, 2020 (HBO)
Jojo Rabbit, 2019 (HBO)
Jonny Quest, 1964
Josie And The Pussycats In Outer Space, 1972
Josie And The Pussycats, 1970
Just Mercy, 2019 (HBO)
The Looney Tunes Show, 2011
Looney Tunes: Back In Action, 2003
Lying And Stealing, 2019 (HBO)
Ma, 2019 (HBO)
The Man Who Would Be King, 1975
Marvin’s Room, 1996 (HBO)
Mildred Pierce, 1945
Mister Roberts, 1955
My Blue Heaven, 1990
My Dog Skip, 2000
My Favorite Year, 1982
National Lampoon’s European Vacation, 1985
National Lampoon’s Vacation, 1983
The Neverending Story, 1984
New Jack City, 1991
New Looney Tunes, 2015
New York Minute, 2004
Of Mice And Men, 1992 (HBO)
Open Water 2: Adrift, 2006 (HBO)
Open Water, 2004 (HBO)
Paddington Bear, 1989
Patriots Day, 2016
Presumed Innocent, 1990
Pride And Prejudice, 1940
Private Benjamin, 1980
Red Tails, 2012 (HBO)
Reversal Of Fortune, 1990
Rio Bravo, 1959
Rise Of The Guardians, 2012 (HBO)
School Of Rock, 2003 (HBO)
Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo, 1981
The Scooby-Doo Show, 1976
Scooby-Doo Where Are You!, 1969
The Secret Garden, 1993
She’s All That, 1999
Snakes On A Plane, 2006
Son Of The Mask, 2005
Space Cowboys, 2000
Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries, 1995
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, 2005
Tom And Jerry (Classic), 1967
Tower Heist, 2011 (HBO)
Under Siege, 1992
Viva Las Vegas, 1964
We Bought A Zoo, 2011 (HBO)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?, 1962 (HBO)
Where The Wild Things Are, 2009
The Wild Bunch, 1969
The Wind And The Lion, 1975
The Yogi Bear Show, 1988

Oh, the next part of Primal will be coming out soon. I'm looking forward to that.

Any chance of HBO Max ever showing (The WB-owned) If Looks Could Kill with Richard Grieco? It's the only movie left that I've yet to check off this action list:
Marshall Julius's Action! The Action Movie A-Z - iCheckMovies.com

Woot! Infinity Train season 4!

Might be finally time to watch all the Police Academy movies- I’ve only ever seen the first one. Is 9 1/2 Weeks the theatrical version or the extended version that’s always been on home video?

Amazon has it via 3rd party on DVD:


Says it's also a DVD-R, but that could go either way.

9 1/2 weeks is a Police Academy sequel? Wow, they took a hard left in that series...

The Snyder Cut of Justice League pumps up HBO Max's ratings.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...sions-apptopia

Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition has now been updated to the new 4K remaster and yes it’s in 4:3. (only for portions of it)

Also, the new 24 minute documentary on the making of the Snyder Cut is now on the extras of the Snyder Cut.

Kind of strange that all 3 seasons of Happy Endings are on HBO Max as it's a Sony show. Sony must have given it to them cheap.

Yup, in DV/Atmos, too.

If you do end up wanting to watch all of them, the original is not on HBO Max. It is however on Peacock.

Once more info is known, it can become a separate thread. It appears they finally finished filming. Put this here instead of the old thread.

Everything we know about the Friends reunion special

"The One where the Friends Reunion Special is Discussed".

You may not need to watch all the Police Academy movies.

I'm looking forward to Mortal Kombat.

I loved the first season of Infinity Train, and I liked the second season, but season 3 just bothered me. I hope S4 is not quite as nihilistic.

Twitter

Twitter

I bet the 2021 theatrical movies gave them a big boost. I probably wouldn't be a subscriber without them. Maybe sporadically, a month here and there. But while they're releasing these theatrical movies, I'll continue my subscription.

I'd be a subscriber even without the first run films this year. HBO Max is consistently delivering content (movies, series, specials) I watch near daily and their back catalog is super impressive.

Next to Netflix, it's become, by far, my favorite streaming service. 44 million is well-deserved.

I was paying for HBO before so now for the same price I get a lot more. Plus, I find the interface much easier to navigate than most of the other streaming services. I can look for things to watch rather than having to know what I want to watch.

HBOMax is my #1 fave streaming service. Glad to see it's growing.

I would pay if not included with cable package.

Yeah, ZSJL had nothing to do with it.