Warner Bros. Discovery is not messing around with their streaming services. The new entity is definitely shaking things up, and already there has been one major casualty: CNN+ spent more time being hyped up than it did actually existing, being axed in barely a month. And now eyes have turned towards DC Films and the HBO Max exclusive release of Batgirl.
Now, we already know that DC Films is in the crosshairs of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. In a new report from Puck News, the new ownership is deciding whether to release the $70M Batgirl film, starring Leslie Grace and JK Simmons, into theaters rather than as a streaming exclusive. The decision to put it on HBO Max-only was made by the previous regime, and, well, they’re out the door.
The major factors at play here are the massive $750M success of The Batman with only a 45-day theatrical window. Also, Netflix’s loss of 200,000 subscribers could be a sign of things to come and it would be wise to consider other options.
This actually might not be that big of a deal. We’ve already seen a reversal in the release of Blue Beetle, which is hitting theaters rather than HBO Max as previously planned. The idea had been to produce a number of mid-budgeted superhero movies that would be streaming originals, but that might not be happening anymore.
There’s time to sort it all out. Batgirl was to open this December, but with The Flash being pushed to June 2023, and it being the introduction of Michael Keaton’s Batman who will act as a mentor figure, the film will be delayed, as well.
