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Warner Bros: sued for controversy with Matrix Resurrections
More than a month after its premiere, Matrix Resurrections continues to generate controversy. This time, it turns out to be a lawsuit against Warner Bros for an alleged breach of contract.
The latest and most recent film starring Keanu Reeves left a mixed picture in critics. Now, it seems to be trending again, but for different reasons.
Village Roadshow Entertainment is the forerunner of the lawsuit against Warner Bros.
Known as one of the largest film and television production companies, it is the one leading the lawsuit against Warner. A surprising act due to the alliance that both companies have enjoyed since the 1990s.
Village Roadshow Entertainment has been Warner's right hand on several major motion picture productions. Not only does the Matrix saga stand out, but others like Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Mad Max, I'm Legend, American Sniper or The Joker.
The problem is that, according to the statutes of the film subsidiary, a deal was breached in the streaming premiere of the movie.
As is well known, Matrix Resurrections arrived in theaters on December 22, 2021. At the same time, it debuted on the same date on the popular and growing HBO Max on-demand platform.
Matrix Resurrections practically failed in its premiere
The long-awaited fourth installment directed by Lana Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves has finally been released. However, it fell short of the anticipated success, leaving much to be desired at the box office. At the same time, it was the victim of mostly devastating criticism.
Given the problem, Village Roadshow Entertainment (VRE) reproaches that the simultaneous release in theaters and streaming killed the box office. In short, they allege that it had a negative influence on what was related to a favorable collection for the magnitude of the project.
The Los Angeles Superior Court will hear the case.
The popular company and film production company filed the lawsuit against Warner at the request of the superior court. A movement that reveals the seams of a greater inconvenience than can be felt.
Among the bases that support the fact, lies the piracy that the film suffered in its premiere on HBO Max. A factor that caused the transcendental loss of income in the general box office.
Together, they allege that Warner's studio understood the risks of a possible dual release.
However, it seems that they ignored the producer's recommendations, going ahead with the action without foreseeing the consequences.
Similarly, other discrepancies were found between the two companies that had not come to light in detail. Among many, they glimpse those associated with the rights of certain projects.
Warner wants to monopolize the rights of VRE
According to the legal and official part of VRE, Warner wants to exercise a false predominance or monopoly over the rights of some productions. They presented evidence that, in the past, they tried to force or perpetuate such scenario.
As a result, VRE demands a rapid exclusion or separation between both fronts so as not to experience worse consequences. In this way, they will have free rein to get ahead with their own ideas in series and movies under their repertoire.
They are aware that Warner has already made a difficult attempt to dodge with films like Edge of Tomorrow. All this without mentioning the unfavorable horizon in cooperation for the premiere of the sequel of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The digital media version "The Wrap"
In other versions, such as the one offered by the digital medium The Wrap, the scenario is more controversial. Warner wants to definitively remove VRE from future projects without their legal consent.
A serious fault, especially since it is the production house that has the large number of film rights. Therefore, Warner gets into a field from which, possibly, it will not come out well.
For its part, it echoes what the legal entourage of VRE exposed before the media platform. Statements that will go around the entertainment world given the uncovered background.
"Warner Brothers has a fiduciary duty to account to Village Roadshow for all copyright proceeds. Not just those that it cannot hide through special deals for the benefit of HBO Max."
It should be noted that VRE is one of the production companies with the ability to enjoy "perpetual rights" in the cinema. From those in co-creation, co-investment, co-production and co-ownership, to the smallest. From that premise, they turn it into a revalued company.
A similar situation was already experienced between Scarlett Johansson and Disney
Legal problems for simultaneous releases is an unsuccessful formula, there is a history. Last year Scarlett Johansson and Disney starred in a similar court case due to the Marvel Studios movie: Black Widow.
The protagonist of the tape, who plays one of the most important characters in The Avengers, portrayed a similar demand. On July 9, 2021, the recording premiered both in theaters and on Disney Plus.
What both parties didn't know was that it would become the most pirated movie on the Internet. A key trigger for the box office income to decline and unleash the intensified legal battle between the parties. By then, a breach of the release method was also alleged.
However, the resolution of the problem came behind closed doors. The waters calmed down with an agreement in which the actress benefited with 40 million net dollars.
What's next for Warner and VRE?
The accusation of deliberately manipulating revenues for VRE with the premiere formula is serious. Warner Bros faces one of the most complex lawsuits in recent times.
Even so, the study predicts a clear victory against the famous producer. In fact, they also issued their own statement to the press about the legal process.
"This is a frivolous and unsuccessful attempt by Village Roadshow to evade its contractual obligations. We have no doubt that the case will be resolved in our favor."
For now, we will have to wait if an agreement is reached behind closed doors as in the Johansson case. Or if, on the contrary, it scales to a majority level.
