Warner Bros. used CinemaCon to convince theatre owners that it was still very much in the theatrical movie business, eight months after shocking Hollywood with the announcement that its 2021 slate will debut day-and-date in theatres and on HBO Max.
Warner Bros. unveiled footage from its upcoming slate, including the first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections (Dec. 22) and closer looks at The Batman (March 4, 2022) and Dune (Oct. 22), as well as clips from James Wan’s Malignant, Clint Eastwood’s Cry Macho, The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark, and Will Smith’s King Richard.
In a pre-recorded video for the presentation, Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, head of international theatrical distribution, appeared. Goldstein remarked that the company has released 13 new films in theatres throughout the pandemic era, praising theatre owners for keeping viewers coming — and then went on to discuss the studio’s next releases, including The Matrix Resurrections, probably most famously.
Little was known about the fourth The Matrix before the presentation, not even the premise or the title. The film is directed by Lana Wachowski and stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, who were both strongly featured in a trailer shown at CinemaCon but not released online.
“I had nightmares that weren’t simply dreams,” Thomas Anderson (Reeves) tells his therapist (Neil Patrick Harris) in the teaser. “Am I going insane?” He thinks something is wrong with the universe, but he has no recollection of The Matrix. He later meets a woman (Moss) in a coffee shop. They shake hands, and there appears to be a connection, yet neither of them recalls the other. Meanwhile, Reeves’ Thomas spends his days taking prescription blue pills and wondering why everyone in his world is attached to their phones – he looks around and realises he’s the only one in a crowded elevator who isn’t gazing at a device.
Reeves’ Thomas eventually encounters a man (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) who looks a lot like Morpheus, the freedom fighter played by Laurence Fishburne in the original trilogy. Anderson is given a red pill by this unknown individual, and we soon witness footage of him with powers, perceiving The Matrix for what it is: a fictitious reality. The footage had Neo (Reeves) fighting a Morpheus-like character in a dojo and a scene of Anderson in an incubator, both of which were comparable to the original. A scene of Neo staring in a mirror and seeing an older version of himself is also included.
Under a contract announced earlier this month, Warner Bros. will resume providing films an exclusive theatrical window next year, with its 2022 slate heading into cinemas for 45 days. In the meantime, the company is working on films for HBO Max, including the upcoming DC features Batgirl and Blue Beetle.
Cripps stated at the beginning of the presentation on the power of the movie theatre, comparing it favourably to watching a movie at home.
