LOS ANGELES (US) – Director Christopher Nolan on Monday criticised plans by Warner Bros to release its 2021 flicks in theatres as well as on streaming platform HBO Max on the same day, adding that the studio should have discussed it with filmmakers first.
Nolan’s thriller “Tenet” was released by Warner Bros earlier this year. He said the work of top talent was being utilised “as a loss leader for the streaming service.”
“There’s such controversy around it, because they didn’t tell anyone,” he told Entertainment Tonight, a television show, on Monday.
Warner Bros caught everyone by surprise last week when it announced that all its 2021 movies, including would-be blockbusters like “Godzilla vs Kong” and “The Suicide Squad,” will be streamed on HBO Max for one month beginning from the day it arrives in movie halls.
“They’ve got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they’ve got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences,” Nolan said.
“And now they’re being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service – for the fledgling streaming service – without any consultation,” he told ET.
HBO Max was launched in May and poses competition to Disney+ and Netflix.
Nolan termed HBO Max “the worst streaming service”, adding that the Warner Bros plan “makes no economic sense.”
Once vaccines are available, movie-going would return to pre-pandemic levels, he said.