There’s no doubt an awful lot of small print that Warner Bros.’ legal team were forced to sift through when the studio made the bold and unprecedented decision to send their entire 2021 slate of movies directly to HBO Max the same day they hit theaters. After all, there are many contracts signed with various partners to cover all the bases in regards to big budget films to guarantee the highest financial returns and ensure that not a single cent gets left on the table, so much so that you’d imagine WarnerMedia wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
However, the latest reports claim that Legendary Pictures are refusing to back down in regards to their reluctance to simply hand over Godzilla vs. Kong, and now want $250 million from the studio if the pic is to head to HBO Max. And really, that’s understandable. After all, the production company provided a rumored 75% of the movie’s budget, which reshoots have pushed towards the $200 million mark, and they want to try and recoup their investment.
Of course, Netflix already offered $200 million to secure the distribution rights and debut the latest chapter in the MonsterVerse on their platform, only for Warner Bros. to block the move and announce just a few days later that Godzilla vs. Kong was heading to HBO Max instead, and based on the news that Legendary are threatening legal action, it appears as though they weren’t offered a similar level of compensation.
Unless the issue gets resolved, it could drive a wedge between the two parties, which wouldn’t be particularly good news for WB, as Legendary also hold a massive stake in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, and they’ve previously partnered up for some of the studio’s biggest movies ever including The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception and Man of Steel, to name just a few.