Christopher Nolan is right – big films need big screens

Warner Bros plans to release major films on HBO Max, but the cinema experience simply cannot be replaced on the sofa at home, writes Charlotte Cripps

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet was one of the few blockbusters to be released in cinemas during the pandemic (Warner Bros)

I remember watching Jaws as a child at a multiplex and it introduced me to the magic of the silver screen. I sat holding my sister’s hand in the dark, feeling that same sense of excitement I had the night before Christmas.  

The cinema experience can’t be replaced by watching a movie at home. I wholeheartedly agree with Tenet director Christopher Nolan’s outrage over Warner Bros’ plans to release major films on HBO Max. Films including Matrix 4, Dune and The Suicide Squad will premiere simultaneously on the streaming service and in US cinemas next year.  

It has caused outrage in Hollywood, according to Nolan, because the studio “didn’t tell anyone” and the work of top talent was being used “as a loss leader for a fledgling streaming service”.  

It’s another huge knock for the cinema industry, which has suffered so much throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The news comes after Warner Bros announced last month that it would release Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 on HBO Max for the first month of the film's release in the US on 25 December.  

In the UK, where HBO Max is not available, the film will be released in cinemas on 16 December, with speculation that it will then screen on Sky Cinema in January, just one month after its cinema release.  

Nolan said: “In 2021, they've got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they've got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences.” He’s quite right.  

It’s not just the big-screen detail and surround sound, but also the shared experience of being together in the dark among a bunch of strangers. And the popcorn at home never tastes as good.  

If parallel streaming with big-screen premieres becomes the norm, cinemas might need to close. Encouraging the audience to stay at home after the Covid pandemic is also a stab in the back to filmmakers and actors who want their work to be seen in its full glory. I want my children to be able to watch Frozen from their seats at the cinema – not on my sofa.  

Yours,

Charlotte Cripps

Culture writer