Warner Brothers

The move will enable film fans to watch the forthcoming sci-fi epic Dune and the Matrix sequel on HBO Max at the same time as their cinema release.

Typically, new releases are shown exclusively at cinemas for months.

But with many cinemas shut due to the virus, studio revenues have plunged.

As a result, Warner Bros said all of its 2021 releases would go straight to HBO Max, the streaming service owned by its ultimate parent company AT&T.

The films will be available on the service, which is not yet available in the UK, for one month after release.

It also asked the search giant to remove links to legitimate movie streaming websites run by Amazon and Sky, as well as the film database IMDB.

The request was submitted on behalf of Warner Brothers by Vobile, a company that files hundreds of thousands of takedown requests every month.

Warner Brothers has yet to comment.

The self-censorship was first spotted by news blog Torrent Freak, which said Vobile had made some "glaring errors".