Devotion can do wonderful things when it comes to entertainment. However, this kind of trust can only lead you so far, and these limits have obviously been tested in Warner Bros. With new CEO David Zaslav trying to cut fat and cancel its production upcoming movies in the studio, his non-stupid approach to company management is in full force. That’s why he reportedly did not rejoice when he discovered that Clint Eastwood’s flop Cry Macho was done despite executives believing he would not be a box office winner.
An early meeting between Zaslav and other studio executives reportedly revealed a lot. In a piece by The Wall Street JournalIt was reported that the Warner Bros. brass Cry Macho to take place despite the alleged loss of millions. The reasons? Obviously, Eastwood was not the only high-profile actor / director to bring the studio huge hits like Dirty Harry movies and Unforgivable, never exceeded the budget and always came on time. David Zaslav, who was not impressed by this answer, replied:
We do not owe anyone any favors. They are not “show friends”, they are “show business”.
This statement is even stronger given the clear doubts about how Cry Macho would play at the box office turned out to be absolutely right. Even with a small budget of $ 33 million, Clint Eastwood’s latest film grossed only about $ 15.5 million during its cinematic release. This probably did not help Cry Macho made his HBO Max debut at the same timeas part of a series of films that tested the waters for the future of the film exhibition.
The recent Warner Bros. merger has just been completed. and Discovery, David Zaslav went straight to work cleaning the house. Zaslav not only canceled it Wonder Twins movie, but also suspended script programming on both TNT and TBS. Although he strongly believes in the talent flirtation that has brought glory to the Warner Bros. lot, the profile mentioned above mentions David mentioning a business mantra that Tom Cruise’s fans follow. Jerry Maguire are familiar with:
David Zaslav’s business approach to Warner Bros. it probably makes people wonder how far the belief in branding and personalities goes when it comes to making decisions. This is a very powerful question when you consider it the recent meeting announced between Zaslav and Wizarding World franchise creator JK Rowling. With the last two Fantastic Beasts box office movies, at least compared to the franchise’s previous efforts, this gap could make sense in a post-Harry Potter world. In fact, it is probably the most important factor in deciding whether or not it will be Fantastic Beasts 4 in theaters or on HBO Max.
The power of faith is an argument that cuts in two directions, even in Warner’s lot. In the pre-Zaslav era, we saw this bond being tested and eventually broken between the studio and Christopher Nolan. The 2021 Simultaneous Flow Experiment led Nolan to split with Warner Bros. presenting his next film Oppenheimer in the rival Universal studio. Although David Zaslav is said to believe that the studio owes nothing to its creators, I guess the director’s loss may still sting a little.
A new day dawns at Warner Bros. and I’m curious to see where this new regime will lead. However, if you have not seen it yet Cry Macho the Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, both movies are currently airing on the HBO Max platform. Meanwhile, Warner Bros.’s next film marketing test will be Baz Luhrmann Elvis, fresh from its polarizing debut in Cannes. The film will premiere in cinemas on June 24.
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