The CEO of Warner Bros indicates that for the moment the release date remains unchanged. He nevertheless confides in closely monitoring the evolution of the health situation.
It’s a very special year that awaits Warner Bros. After showing its previous feature films at the cinema and on HBO Max simultaneously, the studios are returning to a more classic operation. Dark rooms regain their exclusivity, at least during the first 45 days. Then the films will join the catalog of HBO Max, which has just exceeded its target of 73 million subscribers.
This change of course for Warner Media can be explained by the gradual resumption of the box office. However, a new shadow hangs over the sector, that of the Omicron variant which is spreading like wildfire across the world. In a lengthy interview with the Puck newsletter, CEO Jason Kilar spoke about the controversial strategy adopted by Warner Bros. in late 2020 and then emulated by its competitors.
He particularly wanted to defend “Project Popcorn”, the code name for this dual distribution, ensuring that it was the best choice for the public and their partners. “We made the right decision. We have served the customers, the fans. We partnered with theaters, we were the only ones to offer 18 feature films with full marketing spend and worldwide releases. ”
Not on the agenda
However, this return to normal could be marred by the arrival of the Omicron variant and the resurgence of the pandemic across the globe. During this interview, the CEO did not rule out the possibility of postponing his next productions, starting with The batman which is due to open the ball on March 2, 2022. Jason Kilar confides: “We are very attentive to everything that happens with Omicron. We feel good about the release date at the moment. We will take things from day to day ”.
The first postponements have also appeared among its direct competitors, starting with Sony, which once again delayed the release of Morbius. If it is officially to give Spider-Man the opportunity to establish himself as the king of the box office that its release date has been postponed, it is clear that the health situation is not very reassuring for the 7th art.
All that remains is to hope that things do not get tough in the coming weeks. On American soil as in France, the number of daily contaminations has reached records. If a closure of cinemas is not yet considered in France, Belgium has recorded it for three weeks on its territory.
