The film industry is in a far different place than it was just two years ago. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, movie studios made major changes to the way films are distributed. Some major would-be blockbusters have been released straight to streaming or released to stream at the same time as their theatrical release. Another side effect is the shrinking of the normal theatrical release window. It used to be that movies wouldn’t be released on home video or to a streaming service until at least 90 days after the theatrical release.
That has significantly shrunk. Now fans will get to check out the biggest movie of 2022 in just DAYS! The Batman will swing onto HBO Max on Monday, April 18. It will also air on the regular HBO cable channel on April 23.
Timing Is Everything
Warner Bros. took some heat last year when it released all of its major new releases simultaneously on HBO Max including Godzilla Vs. Kong and Dune. It is widely perceived that this release format cost those films millions at the box office as large chunks of their audience opted to simply stay home and watch them on TV rather than shelling out the money for theatrical tickets and concessions or risk exposure to the coronavirus.
At least WB has ditched the day-and-date release model. However, this new 45-day window will likely still make a negative impact. The Batman has made $358.8M at the domestic box office and $735.2 globally. With fantastic reviews and excellent word of mouth from viewers, this Matt Reeves flick MIGHT have made $1 billion in ticket sales. But with this early streaming release, that probably won’t happen now.
The Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/The Batman, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle, Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Peter Sarsgaard as Gil Colson, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, and Barry Keoghan as The Joker er, some random inmate at Arkham Asylum.
It currently holds an 85% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a slightly higher 87% certified audience score. On its opening weekend, exiting audiences rated it an A- via CinemaScore. On PostTrak, they gave it 4½ stars out of 5, an 88% positive, and 73% definite recommend.
Have you already seen The Batman or were you waiting for it to come to streaming? Were you planning to return to the cinema to see it again? Or will you now just wait a week to watch it at home?
