Posted in: Legendary, Movies, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros | Tagged: Warner Bros

Warner Bros. Will Release 12-14 Films In Theaters A Year

Warner Bros. held its Q2 earnings call and outlined its plans to release 12-14 movies in theaters per year.

Published Thu, 07 Aug 2025 15:05:03 -0500

Article Summary

Warner Bros. plans to release 12-14 theatrical films per year, as outlined in its Q2 earnings call.
The strategy includes major IP tentpoles, DC Studios films, New Line Cinema releases, and WB Animation.
The 2026 lineup features a wide variety of genres, aiming to attract mainstream and niche audiences alike.
Warner Bros. is doubling down on theatrical releases despite recent leadership and industry challenges.

Warner Bros. had its earnings call today, and, for once, it feels like this studio isn't 0.5 seconds away from completely collapsing in on itself. Things are still a mess, but there are some success stories in that mess, so things are starting to trend in the right direction. What they need are several commercial and critical hits as 2025 comes to a close and 2026 begins. And they'll have plenty of chances to achieve those commercial and critical success stories because in the shareholder letter (via The Wrap), Warner Bros. details how they plan to release 12-14 films in theaters a year. The letter also broke down the various avenues they would go down to hit that goal.

1-2 Warner Bros. Pictures tentpoles (primarily utilizing well-known Warner Bros. IP)
1-2 DC Studios films
3-4 New Line Cinema releases (including horror)
1-2 WB Animation titles
A select number of moderately budgeted original films

: Outside views of the Warner Brothers Studios Buildings on September 13, 2015. Editorial credit: Oscity / Shutterstock.com

: LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 01: Michael De Luca (L) and Pamela Abdy attend the Warner Bros. Pictures "The Big Picture" Presentation at 2025 CinemaCon at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Stewart Cook/Warner Bros. via Getty Images) 2025 Stewart Cook

: © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET as Paul Atreides in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' action adventure "DUNE: PART TWO," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

: Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. The Cat in the Hat voiced by Bill Hader in Warner Bros. Pictures Animation's "The Cat In The Hat," a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

In terms of variety in genre and tone, it seems like it would be a pretty good spread. Aside from New Line getting a few more movies than other subsets of Warner Bros. and no mention of where Legendary falls into this plan, it makes sense. New Line is focusing a lot more on horror, and if there is one thing you can count on when it comes to horror, it is that they are going to be pretty cheap to make, and the turnaround time will be much faster than people expect. Quick and dirty is still practiced even by the biggest studios when it comes to horror.

Right now, Warner Bros. has almost surpassed that goal in 2026 with a bunch of big projects coming out, and, again, we have a pretty decent variety of tone and genre. From The Cat in the Hat in February, The Bride! in March, Supergirl in June, Clayface in September, Dune: Part Three in December, plus more, Warner Bros. wants to have a slate that appeals to everyone, while also giving very niche audiences what they want as well. Without knowing the quality of any of these films, it's hard to tell if they will pull it off, but a diverse list and a commitment to the theatrical experience, even while the studio is on fire, means Warner Bros. remains relevant despite the ongoing issues with leadership.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!