‘Matrix’ co-producer sues Warner Bros., blames low ticket sales on HBO Max

nypost.com:

reported was filed at the Los Angeles Superior Court Monday. In fact, Warner Media ordered its entire 2021 roster to be released on their sister platform HBO Max, while moving up the release date for “The Matrix Resurrections” from its originally scheduled 2022 premiere to December 2021, attorneys for Village Roadshow claimed in the filing.“WB’s sole purpose in moving the release date of ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ forward was to create a desperately needed wave of year-end HBO Max premium subscriptions from what it knew would be a blockbuster film, despite knowing full well that it would decimate the film’s box office revenue and deprive Village Roadshow of any economic upside that WB and its affiliates would enjoy,” the suit stated.Village Roadshow also claims to be the victim of “rampant piracy” facilitated by the streaming release, adding that Warner Bros.

could have foreseen the potential consequences that “come by distributing this marquee picture on a streaming platform on the same day as its theatrical release,” and moved forward with plans anyway.The fourth “Matrix” installment starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss grossed a paltry $10.7 million during its opening weekend — a fraction of what the preceding trilogy achieved, despite showing in more theaters globally than ever before.The lawsuit comes as the latest in an ongoing debate within the industry over a recent shift to prioritize direct-to-consumer streaming apps during the pandemic, which all but shuttered cinemas globally for nearly two years.

In 2021, Marvel’s “Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson sued Disney, also claiming that the superhero flick’s dual-release hurt ticket sales, on which a portion of her paycheck was contingent.