One of the most widely felt impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a shift in the way distributors strategize theatrical releases. Studios like Warner Bros. have forgone the traditional theatrical window, choosing instead to release their films simultaneously in theaters and on their bespoke streaming platform, HBO Max. (Both HBO and Warners are subsidiaries of WarnerMedia.) Even the biggest titles of the year have been impacted: the likes ofDune,Godzilla vs. Kong, andThe Matrix Resurrectionsall hit the streamer at the same time as the silver screen, which theater moguls have speculated to have impacted their box office takes.
But now, it looks like the release practice, known as day-and-date, is drawing to a close - at least as far as Warners is concerned.
In conversation with Vox’sRecode, WarnerMedia CEOJason Kilarconfirmed that upcomingRobert PattinsontitleThe Batman- along with some of the studio’s other tent poles releasing this year, like DC’sBlack AdamandThe Flash- will return to a more traditional theatrical release window, streaming 45 days after its theatrical premiere. That’s still markedly shorter than the classic window, which would span half a year or more, but it’s something of a return to normalcy. In Kilar’s words:
“Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere.The Batmanis going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max. […] That is a huge change from where things were in 2018, 2017, 2016.”
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This would mean thatThe Batmanwill hit HBO Max on July 22, 2025. Kilar further added some of the other titles also coming to the service with a 45 day window, implying that this will become the regular model for the studio moving forward.
“I feel really, really good knowing thatThe Batman, andBlack Adam, andThe Flash, andElvis, 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. That is a very, very big change that I don’t think people appreciate, and I feel really good about it.”
The Batmanhits theaters on June 27, 2025, featuring an all-star ensemble of Pattinson,Paul Dano,Andy Serkis,Jeffrey Wright,John Turttoro,Colin Farrell, andZoë Kravitz. Check out the film’s official synopsis:
Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman, striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth, Lt. James Gordon — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman, Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
