Warner Bros. Discovery Feb. 23 reported a 26% decline in content distribution revenue to $3.63 billion in the fourth-quarter (ended Dec. 31, 2022), from revenue of $4.91 billion in the previous-year period.
Content distribution, which includes theatrical, home entertainment, TV licensing and video games, saw TV licensing revenue decline mainly due to greater TV licensing deals in the prior year quarter, while games and home entertainment revenue dropped due to greater COVID-induced consumer demand in the prior year. Home entertainment revenue was further impacted by fewer new theatrical releases in the current year.
CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, speaking on the fiscal call, said the home entertainment revenue drop was in part due to management’s decision to seek alternative distribution options for select titles.
Black Adam was released in Q4 2022, but that compares to Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, King Richard and The Many Saints of Newark all released in the
prior-year quarter.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Dune and The Batman ended 2022 as the studio’s top-selling digital/packaged media releases — the former released in retail channels more than a year ago.
The studio said it plans to produce new Lord of the Rings theatrical movies after inking a new distribution deal between Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, and Embracer Group, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth novels’ rights holder.
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The DC Comics-based film The Batman arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD May 24 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The film is directed by Matt Reeves from a screenplay by Reeves and Peter Craig, based on characters created by DC, and stars Robert Pattinson (Tenet, The Lighthouse). In the film, more than a year of stalking the streets as the Batman (Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred, Lt. James Gordon —amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens. When a killer targets Gotham City’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the masked crusader on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle, the Penguin, Carmine Falcone and the Riddler. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, the Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City. The film also stars Zoë Kravitz (TV’s “Big Little Lies,” Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) as Selina Kyle; Paul Dano (Love & Mercy, 12 Years a Slave) as Edward Nashton, aka The Riddler; Jeffrey Wright (No Time to Die, “Westworld”) as Gordon; John Turturro (the “Transformers” films, “The Plot Against America”) as Falcone; Peter Sarsgaard (The Magnificent Seven, “Interrogation”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, Black Panther) as Alfred; and Colin Farrell (The Gentlemen, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Oz, aka The Penguin. It earned $369 million at the domestic box office. Read a review 
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment releases the animated movie Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and for digital purchase May 24. The film from WarnerMedia Kids & Family will premiere May 28 on Cartoon Network, and June 28 will become available on the HBO Max streaming service. Based on DC Comics characters, the film finds the Teen Titans and DC Super Hero Girls reuniting to combat Lex Luthor and his unified gang of supervillains.
CBS and Paramount Home Entertainment release Showtime’s Ray Donovan: The Movie on DVD May 24. Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight and Alan Alda return as Ray Donovan, Mickey Donovan and Dr. Arthur Amoit, respectively. The concluding chapter to the “Ray Donovan” series picks up where season seven left off. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight.
The thriller Umma will be released on Blu-ray and DVD May 24 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Umma, which is the Korean word for “mother,” follows Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter (Fivel Stewart) living a quiet life on an American farm. When the remains of her estranged mother arrive from Korea, Amanda becomes haunted by the fear of turning into her. The film is produced by Sam Raimi and is directed by Iris K. Shim. Additional stars include MeeWha Alana Lee, Tom Yi with Odeya Rush and Dermot Mulroney.
A24’s horror film X arrives May 24 on Blu-ray combo pack (plus DVD and digital) and DVD from Lionsgate. From writer-director Ti West (The Innkeepers, The Sacrament) in his long-awaited return to horror, the film stars Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, Emma.), Brittany Snow (Prom Night, Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2), Jenna Ortega (“You,” 2022’s Scream, The Babysitter: Killer Queen) as well as Grammy Award nominee Scott Mescudi (better known as Kid Cudi, Don’t Look Up). The story follows a group of actors who set out to make an adult film in rural Texas under the noses of their reclusive hosts — an elderly couple with a farm and boarding house for rent. When the couple catches their young guests in the act, the cast finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives in this tantalizing slasher.
The sci-fi romantic comedy Moonshot will be released on DVD and digital sellthrough May 24 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. The HBO Max original film — set in a future where Mars is terraformed and colonized by the best humanity has to offer — follows Walt and Sophie, two very different college students who sneak onboard a space shuttle to the red planet in order to be united with their significant others. The film stars Cole Sprouse (“Riverdale,” Five Feet Apart), Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” trilogy, Alita: Battle Angel), Mason Gooding (Scream, “Love, Victor”), Emily Rudd (“Fear Street” trilogy, “Hunters”) and Zach Braff (Cheaper by the Dozen, Garden State).
The Mel Gibson spy thriller Agent Game arrives May 24 as a combo pack with Blu-ray, DVD and digital from Lionsgate. Directed by Grant S. Johnson (Nighthawks), the movie also stars Dermot Mulroney (TV’s “Hanna,” Hard Luck Love Song, TV’s “The Purge”), Annie Ilonzeh (TV’s “Chicago Fire,” TV’s “Person of Interest,” TV’s “Charlie’s Angels”), Jason Isaacs (TV’s “The OA,” “Harry Potter” franchise, Black Hawk Down), Katie Cassidy (TV’s “Arrow,” TV’s “Gossip Girl,” TV’s “Melrose Place”), Academy Award nominee Barkhad Abdi (2013, Actor in a Supporting Role, Captain Phillips), Adan Canto (TV’s “Designated Survivor,” TV’s “Blood & Oil,” TV’s “Mixology”) and Rhys Coiro (TV’s “Entourage,” TV’s “The Walking Dead,” TV’s “A Million Little Things”). In the spy thriller, Harris (Mulroney), a CIA interrogator at an Agency black site, finds himself the target of a rendition operation after being scapegoated for an interrogation gone horribly wrong. As the team tasked to bring Harris in begins to question their orders — and each other — Olsen (Gibson), a senior intelligence officer, and his subordinate, Visser (Ilonzeh), raise the stakes. Now, it’s up to Harris and some newfound allies to uncover the truth and turn the tables.
Shout! Factory May 24 releases the documentary Trekkies on Blu-ray Disc for the first time to mark the film’s 25th anniversary. Denise Crosby of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” hosts this often-hilarious examination of “Star Trek” devotees, from autograph hounds, to dentists doing their work in Federation uniforms, to the debate over “Trekkies” vs “Trekkers” as the preferred term for the franchise’s fans. In addition to interviews with hundreds of devoted fans, the 1997 film includes discussions with “Star Trek” cast members such as James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, Kate Mulgrew, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, Brent Spiner and George Takei. Trekkies: 25th Anniversary Edition offers a new 4K scan restoration, as well as new retrospective featurette “A Trek Back” with Crosby and director Roger Nygard about the making of the film.
Mattel’s Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go — Best Friends will be released on DVD May 24 from NCircle Entertainment and Distribution Solutions. The disc features eight episodes of the series, in which Thomas and Percy are practically inseparable and everyone on the Island of Sodor knows they’re rarely seen without one another.
Based on the classic 1987 film by Paul Verhoeven, “Robocop: The Series” (1994) stars Richard Eden (Shootfighter: Fight to the Death) as the titular cyborg. ”Delta City” (the project OCP is trying to complete in the films) is now complete. Robocop/Alex Murphy (Eden) is now working for the Metro South Police Precinct along with his partner, Lisa Madigan (Yvette Nipar, ”21 Jump Street”), and a new set of supporting characters, including precinct head Sgt. Stan Parks (Blu Mankuma, 2012), technician Charlie Lippencott (Ed Sahely, Maximum Risk) and an adopted orphan named Gadget (Sarah Campbell, Body Parts). Starting with pilot episode (which uses an early script for RoboCop 2 as its basis), the series sees Robocop running into several new enemies including “Pudface” Morgan (James Kidnie, Bird on a Wire), Dr. Cray Z. Mallardo (Cliff De Young, The Craft), Commander Cash (Roddy Piper, WWE and They Live) and corrupt corporate executive Chip Chayken (John Rubinstein, The Boys From Brazil). Bonus features include a behind the scenes featurette, a toy commercial, a photo gallery, cast profiles, “From Cinema to the Small Screen,” “The Future of Law Enforcement: The History of RoboCop,” fun facts, “Put Down Your Weapon: The Auto 9 Gun,” “The Car” and “The Suit.”
In A Dangerous Man (2009), after serving six years for a crime he didn’t commit, Shane Daniels (Seagal), an ex-Special Forces agent, is released from prison with an apology from the State of Arizona. Within hours of his release, he unluckily witnesses the murder of a cop by members of the Chinese mafia who have kidnapped a girl and taken a bag of drug money. Shane intercedes with the help of the Russian mafia, whose boss owes him a favor for saving his son from the Chinese cop killing that set off the chain of events. Bonus features include the trailer and EPK with cast interviews.