A lot of movies have been released in cinema and streaming simultaneously due to COVID-19 and the new omicron strain. But The Batman will have a slightly different schedule to other Warner Bros. outings like Mortal Kombat and Godzilla Vs Kong – it'll be added to HBO Max 46 days after release.
As reported by ComicBook.com, it will have a 45-day exclusive window in cinemas before being added to HBO Max, changing the strategy that's been used since Wonder Woman 1984 last year. That's just over a month which is shorter than the pre-pandemic window but still longer than what we've acclimatised to. With the film releasing on March 4, that means you'll have to wait until April 19, 2022, to watch it at home.
"Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere. The Batman is going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max," CEO Jason Kilar said. "That is a huge change from where things were in 2018, 2017, 2016."
The Batman isn't alone in this, either. Black Adam and The Flash will also release six weeks after their respective cinema debuts, so this is the new norm for HBO and Warner Bros. going forward. Spider-Man: No Way Home has proven that people will go to the cinemas, after all, grossing over $1 billion in a single week, but it's unclear when Sony will put it on streaming – it could be a similar, shorter window, or it could be more akin to the pre-pandemic wait.
"I feel really, really good knowing that The Batman and Black Adam and The Flash and Elvis and a whole host of other movies are literally going to be showing up on day 46 on HBO Max in a variety of territories all over the world," Kilar added. "That is a very, very big change that I don't think people appreciate, and I feel really good about it."
Right now, HBO Max is only available in the US, Spain, Andorra, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and several territories across Latin America and the Caribbean. Outside of those select countries, you can expect to find the films up for rent online.
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