Wonder Woman 1984 may not be the only blockbuster from Warner Bros. that’s getting a simultaneous release in both theaters and streaming platforms.
According to an exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter, parent company WarnerMedia is preparing a release of Legendary Pictures’ upcoming monster mash-up, Godzilla vs. Kong, on HBO Max. The decision was purportedly prompted by Netflix, which is said to have offered WarnerMedia $200 million to debut the movie on its own streaming platform.
“[…] Netflix has made an offer of more than $200 million for the film while WarnerMedia has blocked the deal while preparing an offer of its own for its streamer, HBO Max,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote. “Legendary declined to comment while a Warner Bros. spokesperson said: ‘We plan to release Godzilla vs. Kong theatrically next year as scheduled.'”
With Wonder Woman 1984 debuting in not only cinemas but HBO Max on Christmas Day, it wouldn’t surprise us if Warner executives did bite the bullet (again) and release another tentpole straight to streaming in the midst of a theater industry that’s been significantly crippled by coronavirus.
“Decisions on the movie’s fate are being handled at the highest level, with WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar and Warner Bros. chairman Ann Sarnoff figuring out an offer for a streaming release on HBO Max that in theory also includes a theatrical component,” The Hollywood Reporter added.
As the title implies, Godzilla vs. Kong will bring together two of Toho’s most iconic and legendary “kaiju” (that’s Japanese for “strange creature”). We have no idea where Kong’s growth spurt came from (he was a relatively small guy in 2017’s Skull Island), but leaked concept art suggests that he can now stand toe to toe with the King of the Monsters.