Entertainment giant Warner Bros has inked a multi-year deal to return to full theatrical releases for new films from 2022.
According to reports in Deadline, Warner Bros signed the agreement with Cineworld – the owner of US cinema company Regal cinemas – and the deal will also see new movies released via streaming on a shortened schedule.
For the remainder of 2020, the company will continue to trial its pandemic-driven business model where box office hits are simultaneously released on streaming and in theatres.
Major theatrical releases such as Wonder Woman 1984 and Mortal Kombat are debuting both in theatres and on streaming platform HBO Max in the US.
From 2022, Warner Bros will release movies in theatres for only a 45-day window before it will be available for streaming.
Other entertainment companies have taken this approach to theatrical releases during COVID-19, including Disney which chose to debut some of its biggest films straight to Disney+.
