CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.
Without question, the biggest move by movie studios to come out of the global pandemic was the decision by Warner Bros. to release the studio's entire 2021 slate directly to the HBO Max streaming service day-and-date with theatrical distribution. While the decision has seen some criticism, it's difficult to argue that it's not huge for subscribers and those that might become subscribers. And now WB is reminding us how big it is with a new promo that includes some new footage from films like The Suicide Squad and Mortal Kombat.
Whether you're looking for massive blockbusters like Godzilla vs. Kong, family films like Tom & Jerry: The Movie or mature dramas like The Little Things, there's certainly something for everybody coming this year. And while some of the clips in the above video that we've seen before, there are some fresh looks here as well, including a great exchange between Idris Elba and John Cena in The Suicide Squad.
The rating of The Suicide Squad isn't official, but all indications including this brief clip hint at an R-rating. Either that or John Cena could be using the film's single allotted PG-13 F-bomb in the scene we see here. Either way, it's looking pretty good.
All of these titles will be made available directly on HBO Max. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
One potentially interesting item of note here is that Dune is part of the trailer. While it was certainly on the initial list of movies coming to HBO Max in 2021, Legendary, the studio behind the film made it very clear it was not happy with Warner Bros. decision to release the movie on HBO Max, and it even threatened legal action. Director Denis Villeneuve had also made it clear he wasn't pleased.
The last we heard, negotiations regarding whether or not Dune would be released to HBO Max were still ongoing. The fact that the movie is still listed here could indicate a decision has been reached. It could also simply mean that talks are still ongoing, and WB is still planning to promote it like it's happening until things change.
A movie conspicuous by its absence is the new Matrix movie. There are seemingly no scenes in the above trailer that are part of that film. Also, the title card at the end calls the movie simply Matrix, which could be an official title or could simply be a place holder for an official title, it's not entirely clear. It wouldn't be the first time a movie that was a reboot or a long-awaited sequel went with a simple, and slightly confusing, title like that.
This new trailer certainly succeeds in its main goal, it makes the upcoming list of films on the way to HBO Max look quite impressive. If you're a subscriber already then certainly the streaming service just gained a lot of value.
