WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said Matt Reeves' highly anticipated The Batman is still on track for a March 4 theatrical release, despite the latest COVID-19 surge due to the Omicron variant.
With Sony pushing back Marvel’s Morbius from January to April, many movie fans are concerned about a domino effect of release date delays. When asked by Puck News if Warner Bros. is considering moving The Batman further into 2022, Kilar said, "We’re certainly paying attention to everything going on with Omicron. We feel good about the date right now. We’re gonna watch it day by day."
Unlike Warner Bros.' 2021 slate of films, which were made available to stream on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters, The Batman will have an exclusive 45-day theatrical window before it debuts on the streaming service. Warner Bros.' 45-day theatrical release approach will apply to all of the studio's 2022 films, including DC’s other highly anticipated blockbusters, Black Adam and The Flash.
Kilar recently confirmed that The Batman will be made available for streaming on April 19 -- 46 days after its theatrical release. "Think about when movies would show up on HBO, which is eight to nine months after theatrical premiere," said Kilar. "The Batman is going to show up on day 46 on HBO Max... That is a huge change from where things were in 2018, 2017, 2016."
The Batman was initially set hit theaters on June 25, 2021, but the film was pushed back to October 1, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing a delay in filming. In October 2020, Warner Bros. once again delayed the film to its current release date of March 4, 2022.
The Batman stars Robert Pattinson in the titular role, with a supporting cast that includes Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred. Director and co-writer Matt Reeves fought for the movie to exist outside of the DC Extended Universe, where Ben Affleck's version of Batman still technically exists as he’ll appear in this November's The Flash.
In regards to The Batman having no connection to the DCEU, producer Dylan Clark explained, "Warner Bros. has a multiverse where they're exploring different ways to use the character... We don't get involved in that. Matt is interested in pushing this character to his emotional depths and shaking him to his core."
The Batman is currently scheduled to hit theaters March 4.
Source: Puck News