Lockdowns around the world also sent films straight to streaming in 2020, such as Emma, Trolls World Tour and Frozen 2.
But if Warner Bros' move was to become more widespread in the industry, which in the last decade has been ravaged by piracy, streaming services and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic, it could doom cinemas to the history books.
"If people can enjoy major film releases from the comfort of their own homes, cinema ticket sales would likely decline significantly," said IbisWorld senior industry analyst Will Chapman. "Revenue across the cinemas industry was expected to rise by 1.1 per cent in 2020-21, but the Warner Bros announcement could spark further disruption of traditional distribution models, potentially limiting industry revenue."
The box office in Australia raked in $1.2 billion in 2019, with $40 million generated from Aussie films.
US-based cinema operator AMC Theatres reached an agreement with Universal Pictures to reduce the exclusivity window to 17 days because of the pandemic.
Australian independent cinema chain United Cinemas has been lobbying the Federal Government to intervene by legislating a mandatory theatre-exclusivity window for new film releases – arguing it's the only thing keeping cinema alive. France and Turkey have passed similar legislation.
But Chapman questioned whether this could help save cinemas.
"The approach taken by Warner Bros means that high-quality streams of new films, legal and illegal, will be available online," he said. "Attempting to force consumers to go to the cinema or wait to view the latest films would likely drive an increase in piracy, rather than greater cinema ticket sales."
Independents make up 31 per cent of all cinemas in Australia, including in most regional areas, Screen Australia data found, but these are the ones expected to struggle the most.
"Cinemas that can advertise their unique viewing experience, such as massive screens with the latest projection technology, advanced sound systems or luxury cinema concepts, are forecast to remain in demand over the next five years," explained Chapman.
"In contrast, smaller cinemas will increasingly be competing with streaming services, which are typically more affordable than cinema tickets."
Streaming services were expected to make more money with the changes. The Pay Television and Internet Protocol Television Services industry, which includes heavyweights Foxtel (owned by News Corp the publisher of this site) and Netflix, is expected to grow by 3.3 per cent in 2020-21 to $5.7 billion.
Sales of premium TVs and home-theatre systems are also expected to reach $3.1 billion this year.
"The desire to replicate the cinema experience at home has driven demand for larger 4K-capable televisions and high-quality sound systems," said Chapman.
