Christopher Nolan has expressed shock and disbelief at the recent Warner Bros decision to release multiple blockbuster films on the HBO Max streaming service simultaneously with their release in American cinemas.

Warner Bros surprised the film industry last week by announcing that its 2021 films (which include Dune, Matrix 4 and The Suicide Squad) will be launching on HBO Max simultaneously with American movie theatres. The move was reportedly due to the chaos caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, which saw cinemas across the world closing and the film industry grind to a sudden halt.

Nolan is one of Hollywood's most formidable directors and filmmakers, who works with Warner Bros often. He is best known for directing Inception, The Dark Knight, and Shutter Island. He described HBO Max as "the worst streaming service" and that his first reaction to the news was "disbelief".

"There's such controversy around it, because they didn't tell anyone," he told Entertainment Tonight. 

"In 2021, they've got some of the top filmmakers in the world, they've got some of the biggest stars in the world who worked for years in some cases on these projects very close to their hearts that are meant to be big-screen experiences.

"They're meant to be out there for the widest possible audiences. And now they're being used as a loss-leader for the streaming service – for the fledgeling streaming service – without any consultation. So, there's a lot of controversy."

"It's very, very, very, very messy," he continued. "A real bait and switch. Yeah, it's sort of not how you treat filmmakers and stars and people who, these guys have given a lot for these projects. They deserved to be consulted and spoken to about what was going to happen to their work."

This news comes just after an announcement from Netflix here in Ireland: the streaming service recently revealed that it would be opening 5 of its Original Films, including the star-studded The Prom and the hotly-tipped Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in select Irish cinemas as well as airing them on the streaming platform.