What Could Happen to ‘The Matrix,’ ‘Wonka,’ and ‘Mad Max’ Franchises Now That They Have New Owners?

On Wednesday, Alcon Media Group won a bid for $417.5 cardinal to get nan Village Roadshow film library, which includes 108 titles and nan authorities to immoderate awesome franchise films, including “The Matrix,” “Wonka,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” nan “Ocean’s” films, nan “Sherlock Holmes” series, “Joker,” “Ready Player One,” and more.

All those films and others were nan merchandise of a reliable and lucrative co-production and co-financing woody Village Roadshow had pinch Warner Bros. Pictures making love backmost to 1997, each earlier Village Roadshow’s bankruptcy and an disfigured ineligible conflict that continues complete nan determination to put “The Matrix Resurrections” onto HBO Max day-and-date pinch theaters backmost successful 2021.

Perhaps inexplicably, Warner Bros. didn’t triumph nan authorities to that room themselves, putting nan workplace successful nan unfortunate position to request to partner pinch a caller institution moving forward. So what happens to those franchises now?

Alcon is down respective Denis Villeneuve films for illustration “Blade Runner 2049,” “Prisoners,” and “Arrival,” films for illustration “Insomnia” and “The Blind Side,” and it besides astir precocious made nan “Garfield” movie for Sony and is moving connected nan “Blade Runner 2099” bid for Amazon. With nan summation of nan Village Roadshow library, it gives Alcon 1 of nan largest movie libraries for an independent movie institution (Lionsgate excluded), astir 150 titles.

While Alcon isn’t coming a partner pinch Warner Bros., it’s imaginable they soon will be. Alcon acquired nan Village Roadshow library, derivative rights, and rate travel pinch their bid. It’s still conscionable a 50 percent stake, but a property merchandise announcing nan news says nan room generates astir $50 cardinal annually. Not excessively shabby. So to make immoderate different follow-up aliases sequel based connected 1 of these films successful nan library, some Warner Bros. and Alcon now person to work together upon it.

Why past did Warner Bros. not prime up nan Village Roadshow room itself? A root told IndieWire Alcon is really conscionable getting nan participations and nan naked copyrights to those Village Roadshow films, and WB still owns nan distribution authorities to those franchises, truthful it decided not to prosecute acquiring nan library.

Another root though says WB did make a bid — and was outbid — by Alcon. It stands to logic that WBD, with $37 cardinal still successful debt, can’t spend to propulsion astir truthful overmuch cash, moreover if it would salary disconnected successful nan agelong term.

Alcon erstwhile upon a clip had a uncommon put woody pinch Warner Bros., 1 that produced arsenic galore arsenic 3 films a twelvemonth for smaller movies for illustration “Dolphin Tale,” but that was nan aged Warner Bros., and this is nan David Zaslav-run Warner Bros. Discovery. Times person changed, and WBD whitethorn still person a opportunity successful nan matter.

Puck noted Thursday that Warner Bros. could title nan derivative authorities to nan Village Roadshow library, and that a proceeding could return spot this summertime (Warner Bros. had nary remark connected rumors of a hearing).

But if Warner Bros. can’t triumph backmost nan derivative authorities successful court, you’d ideate it and Alcon would person to travel to immoderate benignant of woody if they ever wanted to make yet different “Matrix” aliases “Ocean’s” film, both of which WB already has projects successful nan works. Would Warner Bros. ever move nan distribution authorities to 1 of these large franchises complete to different workplace if nan correct connection came on and Alcon wanted to unit its hand? Who knows. But we’ll beryllium amazed if this matrimony lasts arsenic agelong arsenic nan Village Roadshow 1 did.