Amazon Lied About Theatrical Release – IndieWire

A single person that will not be participation when Doug Liman‘s “Road House” opens this year’ s SXSW Movie Celebration? Doug Liman. In an exposing brand-new visitor column for Due date, supervisor Liman shared that he is mosting likely to “silently protest” the truth that his “Road House” will certainly not remain in cinemas. Liman’s option is based upon his distress over Amazon MGM Studios’ choice to release the movie entirely on streaming system Prime Video clip, foregoing a theatrical home window.

A remake of the renowned 1989 movie, Liman creates that “Road House” is “so clearly made for the big screen” and “maybe [his] best film.” He proceeds, “But Amazon is hurting way more than just me and my film. If I don’t speak up about Amazon, who will?”

Liman likewise information the settlements that entered into the movie’s release. “When Amazon bought MGM, one of the few remaining studios making big commercial films for theatrical release (movies like ‘Bond,’ ‘Creed’) they announced that they would put a billion dollars into theatrical motion pictures, releasing at least 12 a year,” Liman created. “They touted it as ‘the largest commitment to cinemas by an internet company.’ I can tell you what they then did to me and my film ‘Road House,’ which is the opposite of what they promised when they took over MGM.”

Liman proceeded, “The facts: I signed up to make a theatrical motion picture for MGM. Amazon bought MGM. Amazon said make a great film and we will see what happens. I made a great film. We made ‘Road House’ a ‘smash hit’ — Amazon’s words not mine, btw. ‘Road House’ tested higher than my biggest box office hit, ‘Mr. and Mrs Smith.’ It tested higher than ‘Bourne Identity,’ which spawned four sequels. I’m told the press response has been Amazon’s best since they bought MGM. … Jake Gyllenhaal gives a career-defining performance in a role he was born to play. Audiences will want to see UFC mega-star Conor McGregor take his debut swing at Jake on the big screen.”

Liman kept in mind that, as a result of the Academy’s qualification constraints calling for a minimal theatrical run for movies, Gyllenhaal and “Road House” will certainly not get approved for honors period. He created that the release option will certainly “deprive Jake Gyllenhaal — who gives a career-best performance — the opportunity to be recognized come award season.”

“What else could I have delivered to the studio? Nothing, it turns out. Because contrary to their public statements, Amazon has no interest in supporting cinemas,” Liman created. “Amazon will exclusively stream ‘Road House’ on Amazon Prime. Amazon asked me and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas, and then they turned around and are using ‘Road House’ to sell plumbing fixtures.”

Liman likewise keeps in mind that this goes much past his movie, composing, “This could be industry shaping for decades to come. If we don’t put tentpole movies in movie theaters, there won’t be movie theaters in the future. Movies like ‘Road House,’ people actually want to see on the big screen, and it was made for the big screen. Without movie theaters, we won’t have the commercial box office hits that are the locomotives that allow studios to take gambles on original movies and new directors. Without movie theaters we won’t have movie stars.”

Liman attributed “brave filmmakers like Chris Nolan and Tom Cruise [who] insisted their movies play in the theater, and they proved audiences are still there” post-pandemic. Nevertheless, according to Liman, Amazon is rather devoted to “gutting MGM and its theatrical business, as I would have been had Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post and then gutted its newsroom (he did the opposite).”

Liman summarized, “We tried everything to convince them to put ‘Road House’ in theaters — they know all the arguments I presented here. I even asked them to allow me to sell ‘Road House’ to another studio that would put it in theaters — they said no. Maybe they are victims in this as well, forced to betray the artists they spent their careers supporting.”

You can review Liman’s complete post right here.