Warner Bros is shortening the window for theatrical releases, meaning that their debuts on HBO Max will be much sooner than once anticipated. This includes the newly released superhero film The Batman, which fans will be able to see on HBO Max quite soon. The news was revealed by WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who explained that it’s part of a major move by Warner Bros in general.
Aside from The Batman, this movie will also apply to films such as Black Adam, The Flash, and Elvis. Specifically, these films will only have a 45-day theatrical exclusive window, and then on their 46th days the films will premiere on HBO Max. This means fans will be able to see The Batman on HBO Max next month.
As revealed by Jason Kilar while speaking in an interview with Vox’s Recode:
“Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere. The Batman is going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max,” he began. “I feel really, really good knowing that The Batman, and Black Adam, and The Flash, and Elvis, and a whole host of other movies, are literally going to be showing up on day 46 on HBO Max in a variety of territories all over the world. That is a very, very big change that I don’t think people appreciate, and I feel really good about it.”
With the various spin-offs following The Batman being produced exclusively for WarnerMedia’s streaming service, it makes sense that they’d want the title film on their platform as quickly as possible. It’s interesting to see, however, that Warner Bros will be taking a similar approach to most if not all of their other theatrical offerings. It definitely looks like streaming has become quite the gamechanger for the entertainment industry, and we’re only in the very beginnings so far.
The Batman will be available to stream on HBO Max on April 19. The film will then be released on linear HBO on April 23.