WarnerMedia aims to appease Hollywood with improved payouts for HBO Max-shifted movies

Dune

WarnerMedia has reportedly found a way of placating the aggrieved filmmakers who are angry at the company’s decision to shift its entire 2021 cinematic slate to streamer HBO Max.

According to a report from Bloomberg, the company’s movie studio Warner Bros. has adjusted the terms of its deals with partners to “guarantee payment regardless of box-office sales” along with increasing the odds of performance-based bonuses. The studio will also reportedly pay a larger group of cast and crew money based on the revenue generated by HBO Max.

Specifically, the report says that anyone entitled to a bonus will receive one based on half the box-office revenue that would normally activate the clause. However, should more cinemas close down – permanently or temporarily – this threshold will fall.

It also says that cast and crew who would normally receive fees based on profits from box-office receipts will continue to do so, but they will also benefit from on-demand and online sales.

Even though it is all under the WarnerMedia umbrella, HBO Max will pay Warner Bros. a fee for the 31-day streaming window, which will be shared with profit participants, cast and crew.

Warner will hope that the offer placates the Hollywood figures who aired their grievances following the initial announcement.

The announcement was widely panned in the filmmaking community, with filmmaker Christopher Nolan notably calling HBO Max “the worst streaming service.” The Tenet and The Dark Knight director also criticised the company for using the films “as a loss-leader for the streaming service.”