‘Matrix’ Co-Producer Takes on Warner Bros.

🎥⚖️ Village Roadshow Entertainment Group, co-producer of The Matrix: Resurrections, filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. yesterday accusing the entertainment giant of breaching its contract by releasing the movie simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters.

• At the center of the lawsuit is The Matrix: Resurrections’ less-than-stellar performance at the box office, where it just recently passed $150 million on a ~$190 million budget.
• The suit calls out Warner Bros. for delaying the movie from April 2021 to late December and offering it to HBO Max subscribers at no additional cost, which Village Roadshow argues played a large role in the film’s relatively poor box office showing.
• In a statement, Warner Bros. called the lawsuit “a frivolous attempt by Village Roadshow to avoid their contractual commitment.”

+The big picture: When Warner Bros. unveiled its strategy to put its 2021 slate of movies on HBO Max and in theaters, it drew the wrath of many Hollywood producers and stars, who feared they would be shortchanged by the move.

The studio ended up cutting new deals with much of the talent involved in its 2021 films, which reportedly cost Warner Bros. $200+ million. No such deal regarding The Matrix: Revolutions was reached.

+It’s not just Warner Bros… Last July, Scarlett Johansson sued Disney alleging a similar breach of contract when her Marvel film Black Widow was released simultaneously on Disney+ and in theaters. She was reportedly seeking $50 million and later settled for undisclosed terms.