Warner Bros.’ decision to delay the planned DCEU picture Batgirl sent the internet into a frenzy a few days ago. There was a lot of discussion and analysis around the decision to abandon a project that had cost $90 million to finish during a pandemic-induced pause. According to Warner Bros.’ recently issued a statement regarding the picture, the decision was ascribed to a shift in strategy under the current leadership of the studio.
The information that has been removed from the site does not appear to be limited to Batgirl. Six Warner Bros. original movies have been withdrawn from HBO Max, all of which were unique to the service. Moonshot, An American Pickle, Charm City Kings, Superintelligence, Locked Down, and the star-studded remake of The Witches are among the films that have been removed from Netflix’s streaming service, according to Variety. In addition, HBO Max has cancelled the SpringHill comedy remake series House Party, which was scheduled to launch on July 28th. During the last several weeks, the first six titles were removed from HBO Max, and Reddit commenters spotted the removal as they discussed Warner Bros.’ decision to cancel Batgirl.
In both cases, the studio appears to have made a deliberate move in order to lower the cost of streaming these games. At least according to a statement from Warner Bros. spokesman Leslie Grace as Batgirl. As stated in the letter, the decision to cancel Batgirl “reflects our leadership’s strategy change as it pertains to the DC Universe and HBO Max.” Uncertainty surrounds the impact of this change on WBD’s HBO Max streaming programming and other upcoming ventures. To make place for other licence arrangements early last month, Variety said that Warner Bros. had to suspend production on and remove original HBO Max titles in the Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland), Central Europe and the Netherlands. While the studio’s commitment to these areas hasn’t altered, a statement from a representative said the firm will continue to commission local content.
As of this writing, no word from Warner Bros. Discovery on the withdrawal of these six films from HBO Max has been provided.