Studio Claims Warner Bros. “Inflicted Serious Harm” On ‘Matrix’ Franchise With Its HBO Max Release

Last year, after the announcement that all of Warner Bros.’ 2021 films would get theatrical and simultaneous HBO Max releases, there was a flurry of filmmakers and other industry types upset over the news. We even had reports that filmmakers and producers were thinking about fighting WB over the decision. Well, nothing ever came about, but Village Roadshow, the studio behind “The Matrix Resurrections,” is ready to take that step. 

According to Variety, Village Roadshow has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the release strategy for “The Matrix Resurrections.” Basically, the suit alleges that WB tanked “The Matrix Resurrections” by releasing the film on HBO Max, and the film ultimately bombed at the box office, costing Village Roadshow millions. The studio claims that the poor box office is killing the franchise and will likely prevent future sequels (even though Lana Wachowski has pretty much shot that down anyway).

READ MORE: Lana Wachowski Shoots Down The Idea Of A New ‘Matrix’ Trilogy

“WB’s strategy not only ensured that ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ would be a bust at the box office, but it also inflicted serious harm to the entire ‘Matrix’ franchise,” the suit states. “There can be no doubt that the abysmal theatrical box office sales figures from ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ dilute the value of this tent pole franchise as a film’s lack of profitability generally prevents studios from investing in additional sequels and derivative films in the near term.”

In addition to this, the suit also claims that Village Roadshow won’t earn enough money from the ‘Matrix’ release to pay for the rights for the franchise, which could mean the rights would be lost. 

In a statement, Warner Bros. denies the allegations and says, “This is a frivolous attempt by Village Roadshow to avoid their contractual commitment to participate in the arbitration that we commenced against them last week. We have no doubt that this case will be resolved in our favor.”

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Obviously, lawsuits are purposefully worded with the worst possible scenario being stated. Is Village Roadshow going to lose the rights to “The Matrix?” Does this box office showing mean no more ‘Matrix’ sequels or spinoffs in the future? And obviously, do we know for sure ‘Resurrections’ would have made a lot more money if it wasn’t on HBO Max, given the film received pretty mixed reviews and wasn’t a fan favorite? These are questions we don’t have the answer to. 

So, this suit is pretty damning in the sense that a studio is finally taking legal action against WB for its 2021 release strategy, and it does paint a picture of the death of a franchise due to HBO Max. But it’s also a contentious lawsuit and might not be completely accurate. Only time will tell.