First it was Christopher Nolan saying that HBO Max was “the worst streaming platform”. Later, Denis Villeneuve charged against Warner Bros. ‘digital distribution model saying that AT&T had “kidnapped one of the most important and respectable movie studios in history”. Now, in the framework of CinemaCon 2021, Patty Jenkins has also joined the wayward voices with the company for its simultaneous distribution strategy.
A heartbreaking experience
The director of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, a title that made a not inconsiderable $ 166 million at the pandemic box office – a shadow of the 822 that the first DC Amazon adventure grossed -, initially supported the simultaneous theatrical release and streaming of his latest work; but now he has admitted that it was “a heartbreaking experience”, and “the best choice among a handful of bad decisions”.
“It was detrimental to the movie. I don’t think it is viewed the same way streaming, ever. I’m not a fan of simultaneous premieres and hope I can avoid them forever. I make movies for the big screen experience.”
Jenkins’ remarks come just after the president of the MPA, also during CinemaCon, lashed out at the distribution day-and-date; attributing the blame for the boom in torrent downloads – and similar media – and poor box office results of some Disney and Warner Bros. titles, and ruling that “simultaneous premieres are an invention of the pandemic era that must disappear along with the pandemic itself”.
Via | Deadline