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Photorealistic scene of film industry executives and directors sitting at a conference table with documents and screens.

Photorealistic scene of film industry executives and directors sitting at a conference table with documents and screens.

The announcement amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic that the entire 2021 Warner Bros. theatrical film slate would debut on the service for one month concurrently with the theatrical runs sparked outrage from the creative teams of many of said films and beyond against the service, particularly given they were not consulted on the decision to the same degree as the Wonder Woman 1984 crew was in 2020. Agencies representing the films' actors demanded fair compensation, while the Directors Guild of America gave an official rebuke to Warner Bros. and HBO Max. Dune director Denis Villeneuve slammed the decision, decrying it as a cheap move to boost a failing service and accusing AT&T's Warner Bros. of "no longer [being] on the same team" as its filmmakers; James Gunn (The Suicide Squad) and Jon M. Chu (In the Heights) are also reportedly shocked and displeased. Lana Wachowski was also adamant about releasing The Matrix Resurrections theatrically, and, following the simultaneous release, producer Village Roadshow outright sued Warner Bros. Clint Eastwood (Cry Macho) said "Not my favorite thing in the world. How's that going to work out at all? I still don't know.". Downplayed with John Lee Hancock (The Little Things), who admitted to being blindsided by the decision but ultimately accepted the rationale behind it. It also infuriated Christopher Nolan so much that he moved to Universal to make Oppenheimer to guarantee its theatrical exclusivity. As for Villeneuve, he was promised the Ver mais