Two Films Originally Planned for HBO Max Head to Theaters; ‘Aquaman,’ ‘Shazam’ Sequels Change Dates in Latest WBD Shake-up
The so-called “reset” of release strategies at Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing. Yesterday, the company announced that it was shifting release dates for two of its most anticipated DCEU movies: “Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom” and “Shazam: Fury of The Gods.”
The company also announced that its “House Party” reboot and “Evil Dead Rise” will not be released on HBO Max as originally intended, but instead will get theatrical releases. The Lebron James-Maverick Carter-produced reboot of “House Party” will now arrive in theaters on Dec. 9, 2022. The newest chapter in the Evil Dead franchise, “Evil Dead Rise” will also get a theatrical release on April 21, 2023 after its trailer was well-received at CineEurope, according to Deadline.
The shifting of dates and canceling of HBO Max releases is certainly consistent with WBD CEO David Zaslav’s announced policy in the company's second-quarter earnings call with investors and reporters. There, in addition to announcing that the company had done a “reset” on its DC plans, Zaslav made clear that a “strategic shift” in the company’s film release plans was well underway.
“Our focus will be on theatrical,” Zaslav said. “When we bring the theatrical films to HBO Max, we find they have substantially more value [after being on the big screen].”
It recently became clear that WBD was scrapping its 45-day theatrical release policy. It may well see films like “House Party” and “Evil Dead Rise” as candidates for a paid video-on-demand (PVOD) release before they hit the company’s streamer. That’s the strategy that the company has been pursuing following the recent biopic “Elvis,” which is available for rental or purchase on Prime Video and other platforms but still does not have an HBO Max release date.
The “Aquaman” news was an especially bitter pill for lead actor Jason Momoa to swallow. “I just trust in them to make the right decisions, and I gotta stay in my lane,” Momoa said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“Aquaman 2” was originally scheduled for release on March 17, 2023, but that big-screen sequel has now been pushed to Dec. 25, 2023. To fill in that now-empty slot, the second “Shazam” film will move from its Dec. 21, 2022 release date to March 17, 2023.
The holiday release date suggests that WBD executives have confidence in Aquaman’s ability as a tentpole film, though perhaps not one they’d like to expose to competition with an already crowded slate of summer films. The shift may bring more immediate financial rewards for WBD, at least for its box office projections regarding “Shazam: Fury of The Gods.” By shifting that film to “Aquaman 2’s” old release date on March 17, the film will avoid competing with Disney’s “Avatar: The Way of Water,” especially as both films will want to make use of IMAX screens.
At this point, there is no reason to believe that the two movies will go the way of “Batgirl,” which WBD recently mothballed despite it being an essentially finished film. But there are rumors that the “Aquaman 2” release date could be changed again, and, if that happens, WBD’s strategy for its films may be called into question. After all, Disney continues to plunge ahead with Phases 5 and 6 of its Marvel Cinematic Universe, and WBD may not be able to compete if it continues what currently appears to be a losing strategy, especially for the company's premium brand.
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