With Hollywood fuming following WarnerMedia’s announcement that all its 2021 movies will stream on HBO Max the same they open in theaters, prolific producer Jason Blum weighs in. Blum has long thought the theatrical window should be shorter, but not totally smashed.
Blum says, “The creep of the closing window and the march towards streaming was inevitable, we’re just getting there in a very bloody way.”
Blum knows bloody. He produces horror movies, after all. He’s also been Oscar-nominated for his films “Whiplash,” “Get Out” and “BlacKkKlansman.” Blum does not have a film on the upcoming Warner Bros. slate, but when asked what if he did, he says, “If I had gotten that call, I would have been deeply disappointed, and I would have called my lawyer and said, ‘Are they allowed to do this?’”
And Kim Masters and Matt Belloni banter about continued industry blowback directed at WarnerMedia. The Directors Guild and the agency CAA have both sent strongly-worded letters to the company. They compare WarnerMedia’s approach, which blindsided filmmakers, with Disney’s recent presentation showing a more hybrid model to releasing films. Some will go straight to the streaming service Disney+, while their biggest films will still play in theaters first.