The Matrix Resurrections co-production studio Village Roadshow Pictures has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over its same-day release on HBO Max.
When the fourth entry in the Matrix series debuted in theaters in December, it was also available on HBO Max at no extra cost to subscribers for 30 days, a strategy the company utilized all year. CNBC reports that Village Roadshow filed a lawsuit against WB accusing its parent company WarnerMedia of breaching contract with its method.
According to the co-producers, WarnerMedia shifted the 2022 Matrix release date to late 2021 in an attempt to bolster HBO Max subscriber numbers. “WB’s sole purpose in moving the release date of The Matrix Resurrections forward was to create a desperately needed wave of year-end HBO Max premium subscriptions from what it knew would be a blockbuster film, despite knowing full well that it would decimate the film’s box office revenue and deprive Village Roadshow of any economic upside that WB and its affiliates would enjoy,” reads the lawsuit, per the Wall Street Journal.
Produced on a budget of $190 million, the fourth Matrix brought in just over $37 million domestically and $153M worldwide. The lawsuit highlights that Spider-Man: No Way Home released only in theaters, grossing well over $1.7 billion worldwide despite missing out on the lucrative Chinese box office.
Last year, Scarlett Johansson filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Disney for the simultaneous streaming/theatrical release of Black Widow, which also underperformed at the box office despite costing Disney+ subscribers extra money to view. She was eventually able to settle with Disney, and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has since confirmed she’s working on a “top-secret” project with Marvel.
