In seismic shift, Warner Bros. to stream all 2021 films - The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — In the most seismic shift by a Hollywood studio yet during the pandemic, Warner Bros.

Kong” and the Lin-Manuel Miranda adaptation “In the Heights” — will stream on HBO Max at the same time the films play in theaters.

Among the myriad release plan changes wrought by the pandemic, no studio has so fully embraced streaming as a lifeline.

theaters currently closed, the AT&T-owned Warner Bros.

The move follows Warner Bros.′ decision to put “Wonder Woman 1984” on HBO Max in December, along with a concurrent theatrical run.

“Given the unprecedented time that we’re in, we needed a creative solution to address our fans, our filmmakers and our exhibitors, said Ann Sarnoff, chief executive of WarnerMedia Studios, in an interview.

Sarnoff called it a “temporary solution” and a “one-year plan.” The studio said other options — releasing big-budget films solely in reduced capacity theaters or delaying films another year — weren’t appealing.

Warner Bros.′ move amounts to an acknowledgement that any full rebound for theaters is still a year or more away.

Warner Bros.′ decision resonates especially because the 117-year-old studio of “The Wizard of Oz” and “Casablanca” has long been a market-leader in Hollywood — and one known as especially supportive of theaters.

“I can’t comment on the economics of how it will all work — I’d need a crystal ball for that,” said Sarnoff.

Warner Bros.′ 2021 slate includes many of the expected top movies of the year, including “Dune,” “The Suicide Squad,” “Tom & Jerry,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Make Me Do It,” “King Richard” and “Judas and the Black Messiah.”.