And the day one theatrical movie releases are part of WarnerMedia’s big push to get the HBO Max subscriber numbers up. WarnerMedia made waves (and maybe even a few enemies) when it announced that its entire 2021 theater release line-up, including films like Godzilla vs. Kong, Mortal Kombat, and Dune would also be released on HBO Max the same day they’re set to be released in theaters.
WarnerMedia reported around 40 million subscribers as of January 2020, this trails Disney+’s 100 million subscribers, and Netflix’s 200 million. But according to Variety, WarnerMedia appears optimistic as it raised its subscribers forecast to 120 million by 2025, an increase over its initial 90 million projection.
A cheaper ad-supported tier could shore up those numbers and give customers a chance to try out HBO Max’s library, and then potentially commit to a more costly, ad-free experience with day one movie releases. The standard HBO Max subscription currently costs $14.99 a month.An ad-supported option is already offered by other streaming services. Hulu offers an ad-supported version as does Peacock, which actually offers three tiers of subscriptions with different offerings at each level.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN’s News Editor.