Warner Bros. stunned Hollywood by announcing Godzilla vs. Kong and 16 additional films from the studio's 2021 slate would receive simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max releases in the U.S. However, Legendary Pictures is reportedly unhappy with Warner Bros.' decision to bring Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune to the WarnerMedia streamer and may be considering legal action.
Under the terms of Warner Bros.' current release plan for 2021, Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune will be two of the 17 films that will debut on HBO Max day-and-date with U.S. movie theaters. Exhibitors reacted swiftly to Warner Bros.' decision, with Cineworld Group expressing hope that the studio would seek to reach an agreement regarding proper release windows once it becomes safe for theaters to resume operations.
According to Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr., Legendary Pictures has sent legal letters to Warner Bros. challenging the studio's decision to include Denis Villeneuve's Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong in the HBO Max deal. The production company, which covered 75% of the Godzilla vs. Kong budget, had not received advanced notice of the simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release plans for either film, according to the outlet's sources.
Godzilla vs. Kong is the fourth entry in Legendary's MonsterVerse series while Dune is slated to be the first of multiple film adaptions of Frank Herbert's novel, but the long-term viability of both franchises could be threatened by premiering these projects on a streaming service. "I'm told there are three other films that have a right to believe movies they majority financed are being served up to provide a steroid shot to HBO Max’s paid subscriber base by undoing deals that were made for theatrical release and the traditional revenue waterfall," adds Fleming Jr.
Legendary Pictures had reportedly received an offer of over $200 million for Godzilla vs. Kong from Netflix. However, WarnerMedia blocked the deal in order to prepare its own bid for the film to be available on HBO Max. The MonsterVerse film had been scheduled for a theatrical release in November 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Warner Bros. to postpone its debut until the following year.
The first Warner Bros. film to fall under this new release strategy will be DC's Wonder Woman 1984, which debuts on HBO Max and theaters across the United States on Christmas day. However, WarnerMedia is suspending its 7-Day free trial offer for HBO Max ahead of Wonder Woman 1984's premiere in favor of a 22% discount for new and returning users who purchase a six-month subscription.
Godzilla vs. Kong will be released in theaters and on HBO Max in the U.S. on May 21, 2021.
Source: Deadline