‘Dune,’ ‘Matrix 4’ Take Center Stage at Warner Bros CinemaCon Presentation

Warner Bros. has made industry headlines all year for its day-and-date HBO Max strategy for 2021, but the studio’s CinemaCon presentation focused on a future where it will recommit to the theatrical window.In a pre-taped message, Warner Bros.’ domestic distribution head Jeff Goldstein acknowledged the “tough and controversial choices” that the studio made by putting its entire 2021 slate on HBO Max at no extra charge on the same day they hit theaters. But he thanked theaters for helping develop initiatives like private screenings, which became a popular option for “Wonder Woman 1984” last winter, despite being released at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic.“Going to the theater is simply in our DNA,” said Goldstein. “And that will never change. That won’t be replicated in any way.”Warner Bros. also touted its claim to the largest market share in 2021 so far with over $2 billion grossed in a still recovering global box office,...