Warner Bros. Studios made the shocking revelation earlier this month that it would release all its major 2021 films in theaters, while also making them available to stream on HBO Max the same day. The news came shortly after it was revealed that Wonder Woman 1984 would premiere on Christmas Day in theaters, at the same time as its HBO Max debut.
While this has eased the minds of some moviegoers who are still unsure about venturing out due to the pandemic, others are fearing the death of movie-going. Not too long after the news became public, visionary directors Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve spoke out about the decision, slamming Warner Bros.
Several actors are now stepping up to support the Dune visionary as they also fear that movie-going could be coming to an end.
Josh Brolin took a bold step in speaking out first on the matter and supported Villeneuve. The Avengers: Endgame star shared a photo of Villeneuve to his Instagram page while suggesting his followers read his full statement to Variety .
“Long live the theater experience!!!” Brolin wrote while adding the article to his Instagram bio.
“Dune is by far the best movie I’ve ever made. My team and I devoted more than three years of our lives to make it a unique big screen experience,” Villeneuve said in a letter published by Variety . “Our movie’s image and sound were meticulously designed to be seen in theaters.”
“I call on AT&T to act swiftly with the same responsibility, respect, and regard to protect this vital cultural medium,” he continued. “I strongly believe the future of cinema will be on the big screen.”
AT&T, who owns Warner Bros., has been accused of making the move as a cash grab. A sentiment Chris Evans reiterated in his latest Instagram story when sharing and liking Brolin’s post.
“We can’t let the movie going experience fade away. Especially if it’s fueled by a cash grab,” the Knives Out star said.
Jeremy Renner also liked the upload, showing solidarity with his MCU buddies.
Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa , reposted his Dune co-stars original post showing full solidarity with his director. Momoa is especially affected by this decision as his DC character is currently owned by Warner Bros.
Dune was originally set to premiere this month but was pushed to October 1, 2021. There is still plenty of time for the HBO Max deal to be reversed, but as of now, neither Warner Bros. nor AT&T has responded to the backlash.
