The fallout of the controversial move by WarnerMedia to push all of its 2021 WB films to HBO Max and in theaters on the same day is still being felt in Hollywood as the big picture of what this deal means continues to become more clear. Basically, it’s been a really rough week for WarnerMedia, as stars, filmmakers, and guilds have been just a few of the entities upset with this unprecedented move.
But before we get to the upset folks, not everyone is mad at this move by WarnerMedia. According to a report from the New York Times (and corroborated by THR), the talent involved with “Wonder Woman 1984” seems to be generally okay with the move to release that film on HBO Max and in theaters on Christmas Day. Why? Well, in contrast to how the studio treated the other dozen or so films that are receiving the same fate, WarnerMedia apparently discussed the plan with Gal Gadot, director Patty Jenkins, and others involved well before it was announced and both of those ladies are said to have earned payouts of more than $10 million. Remember, WB is hoping there’s another sequel in the works and has to keep these people happy.
On the other hand, THR is reporting that directors James Gunn and Denis Villeneuve are both unhappy with the move, as they have two films (“The Suicide Squad” and “Dune,” respectively) that were sent off to HBO Max without any prior discussion. The report claims that many directors, actors, and other talent involved didn’t hear of the news until it was already announced, with WarnerMedia having to now try to go back and buy out their backend deals (which would have been based on box office grosses). And it’s being reported that these folks are not being offered “Wonder Woman 1984” money.
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Speaking to NYT, WarnerMedia executive Jason Kilar thinks his studio is going to be more than fair with its talent. “The most important statement to make is we endeavor to be generous,” he said. “It has served us well for 97 years, and I think it will serve us well going forward.”
In the case of “Dune,” the NYT report also claims that many of the stars involved with the film agreed to lower their upfront costs in favor of richer backend deals based on box office returns, with the hope that a lower budget would help the film get made and would make it easier for sequels. Of course, now with box office probably being far lower than what it would have been before this deal, how is WarnerMedia going to make it up to them?
But it’s not just directors and actors that are upset over this move. It’s the guilds that actually represent them. Leading the way is the Directors Guild of America, which is said to be looking into a possible boycott of WarnerMedia due to this move. In addition, there are various reports of talent agencies thoroughly mad at what this unilateral decision to shift all of these films to the hybrid HBO Max/Theatrical model means for their clients.
So far, it would appear that theaters are mad at this move, directors are upset (just look at what Christopher Nolan said), actors aren’t pleased, and the guilds and agencies are mad. So maybe Jason Kilar was right when he tweeted, “This one is for the fans.” They’re the only ones that might be happy with what is being announced.
