Sony Pictures getting more offers, thanks to WB's 2021 decision
What's the story
"Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity," said American author H Jackson Brown Jr. This is turning out to be true for Warner Brothers and Sony Pictures, two rival studios facing totally different treatments from the film fraternity after the former decided to release all 17 titles in theaters and HBO Max in 2021. Sony is getting a lot of offers, courtesy WB!
Context
'Wonder Woman 1984' became one of the first biggies
Warner Bros had made the announcement earlier about releasing all their 2021 releases on HBO Max and theaters simultaneously to let people in theater-shut areas catch the new films on the same day. Wonder Woman 1984, a much-awaited big-budgeter, became one of the first notable films to be released this way. Dune and The Suicide Squad are the probable next biggies.
Reactions
'Dune' director against WB's decision, 'WW' maker in support
Angry Dune director Denis Villeneuve slammed AT&T, the telecom brand owning WB, saying, "Even though Dune is about cinema and audiences, AT&T is about its own survival on Wall Street." Patty Jenkins, however, supported the decision, stating the pandemic had left the studio with "no good option." Notably, this decision was taken without consulting actors, directors, and producers, as highlighted by Christopher Nolan.
Repercussion
Those miffed with Warner Bros are calling up Sony Pictures
Therefore, miffed directors, actors, and other talents are dialing up Sony Pictures now, hoping to ink deals that don't get a streaming platform rollover for the foreseeable future. This trend is picking up because Sony Pictures is one of the few giant film brands that has not yet developed a major streaming service. And, that's where Sony Pictures Chairman-CEO Tony Vinciquerra is finding opportunities.
Details
Real reason? Sony is 'a theatrical distributor and producer'
"After the Warner Bros. announcement, it's been a bit of a boom for us," says Vinciquerra. "But the real benefit has been the number of incoming calls from talent, creators, actors, and directors to us saying, 'We want to be doing business with you because we know you're a theatrical distributor and producer.' That has worked very well for us," he added.