Is HBO Max Now the Biggest Threat to Netflix?
HBO Max finally found a way to justify its high price tag. It just needed a little help from a few kaiju monsters, Bugs Bunny and Timothée Chalamet. In a move that could permanently change how films are distributed even after the pandemic subsides, Warner Bros. sidestepped what would have been another long year of uncertainty by giving HBO Max subscribers Day 1 access to its entire 2021 movie slate, including major tentpoles like “Godzilla Vs. Kong,” the animated reboot “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” “Matrix 4” and “Dune.” In doing so, the streaming service removed what was perhaps its biggest obstacle in seriously challenging Netflix and newcomer Disney+ in the streaming wars: convincing non-HBO fans to sign up for the $15-per-month offering. It’s an industry-shattering, theater-threatening decision that figures to reverberate throughout Hollywood for years to come. While cinema chains owners, most notably AMC Theatres, are accusing WarnerMedia of sacrificing profits to boost its fledgling streaming service, executives at HBO Max argue they’re making the best of a bad situation. It just has the added tradeoff of cementing the seven-month-old streaming service as a true threat to Netflix’s throne. Though to be sure, it still has a long way to...
Read original story Is HBO Max Now the Biggest Threat to Netflix? At TheWrap
