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Christopher Nolan disappointed with Warner Bros. over HBO max deal

WION Web Team
New DelhiUpdated: Dec 08, 2020, 03:47 PM IST
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British director Christopher Nolan poses as he arrives on May 13, 2018 for the screening of a remastered version of a film at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. Photograph:(AFP)

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‘Tenet’ was the last major movie to launch in movie theatres. It topped $300 million internationally with people still reluctant to come to cinemas. Nolan’s resume at Warner Bros. includes ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘The Dark Knight trilogy’, ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar.’

Christopher Nolan, whose latest film ‘Tenet’ was a Warner Bros. production, has expressed dissatisfaction over studio’s decision to release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the HBO Max streaming service

In an interview with ET, Nolan said, “There’s such controversy around it because they didn’t tell anyone,”. “It’s very, very, very, very messy. A real bait and switch. Yeah, it’s sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work.”

‘Tenet’ was the last major movie to launch in movie theatres. It topped $300 million internationally with people still reluctant to come to cinemas. Nolan’s resume at Warner Bros. includes ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘The Dark Knight trilogy’, ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar.’

The studio recently announced that 17 of its 2021 titles — including the fourth ‘Matrix,’ ‘The Suicide Squad,’ ‘Godzilla v. Kong,’ ‘Dune’ and ‘In the Heights’ — would debut on HBO Max immediately upon their theatrical release as parent WarnerMedia faces the prospect of moviegoers continuing to shun theatres. Nolan said his reaction was “disbelief….especially the way in which they did.”

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“In 2021, 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,” he added. “They’re meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences… and now they’re being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service — for the fledgeling streaming service — without any consultation.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to exhibitors around the world consider alternatives to release their films. While studios are holding back the release of major titles, nobody knows when the full functionality of cinema-hall would resume.