MovieVillage Road Entertainment Group, one of the producers of “The Matrix Resurrections,” Warner Bros. sued because the film was shown simultaneously in theaters and on streaming platform HBO Max. That reports The Wall Street Journal. The production company accuses Warner of piracy and knowingly causing loss of profits at Village Road.
In the complaint, which was filed by Village Road attorneys, the production company alleges that Warner Bros. committed a breach of contract. The new ‘Matrix’ film would have been shown on Warner’s streaming platform HBO Max on the same day as the theatrical release, without Village Road’s knowledge. Before that, the original release date of the film on the streaming platform in 2022 would have been brought forward to December 2021.
More profit for Warner
“The sole purpose of Warner Bros. pushing the release date of ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ was to generate a desperate wave of new HBO Max premium subscriptions. While the company knew well enough that this would plunge ticket sales and deprive the Village Roadshow of economic advantage,” the statement reads.
The fourth ‘Matrix’ film, starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the lead roles, grossed a ‘mean’ 10.7 million dollars (9.4 million euros) during its opening weekend. A fraction of what the previous installments made, despite the fact that the film was shown in more cinemas worldwide than ever before. Other films released in 2021 through an exclusive theatrical release — and only showing up on streaming services later — fared much better. For example, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ brought in $260 million (227 million euros) during its premiere weekend in American cinemas alone.
Not the first time
It is not the first time that a film distributor has been charged with deliberately bringing forward a film debut on streaming platforms. In July of 2021, ‘Black Widow’ star Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for breach of contract for the same reason. The actress then claimed that the film’s double release in theaters and on Disney+ hurt ticket sales, on which part of her salary depended.
Also read:
Set nurse ‘Rest’ to judge for shooting incident
‘The Power of the Dog’, ‘Dune’ and ‘Encanto’ Score in 2022 Oscar Nominations
Chinese streaming service brings back original ‘Fight Club’ ending after criticism of censorship
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and never miss a thing from the stars.