Asked by Variety, Aaron Sorkin and Patty Jenkins evoke Warner’s decision to release their next films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in the United States, and share their fears and hopes.
A week later, the repercussions of the earthquake caused by the Warner continue to be felt. On December 3, the studio announced that all his 2021 films would be released simultaneously in US theaters and on the HBO Max platform, which did not fail to anger Christopher Nolan and James Gunn. Or the company Legendary Pictures, which helped fund Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune, and is considering legal action so that the visibility of their feature films is not diminished by this controversial decision.
Which obviously arouses fears in Hollywood, as the director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin points out: “We are all afraid that things will change now”, explains the director of the Chicago Seven, in a discussion with Patty Jenkins organized by Variety. “That theaters become like art houses and that the films we make will only be seen on streaming platforms. But I think that will not happen because nothing has succeeded in replacing the experience. consisting of being part of an audience in the space of 4000 years. This shared experience, where you are in a cinema while the lights go out, where you laugh, gasp or are silent at the same time, before this finale where the film resonates in us at the same time. “
While her counterpart has just signed a feature film for Netflix, Patty Jenkins is more concerned with Warner’s decision. Because Wonder Woman 1984, which she directed and co-wrote, will be the studio’s first opus to hit theaters and on HBO Max on December 25. And according to her, the situation could benefit those who choose to go in another direction: “When all studios start looking for the same thing, you wonder why none of them try to differentiate themselves”, she explains. “In this case, I think what will happen is that a studio will be smart enough to act as an anomaly to whom the great directors will turn, and whose cinemas will favor films. Because if, today, the studios start to announce [qu’ils vont sortir les films en salles et en streaming le même jour], the directors will turn to the one who promises them not to do that. “
Words that go in the direction of those of Christopher Nolan, which the director confirms at the microphone of CNN : “I agree with Chris. I don’t think this is good for the future of cinema once the Covid is over. The case of [Wonder Woman 1984] was different, however. It turned out differently, as we are facing the peak of the pandemic, with people suffering and struggling, and having to choose between putting our film aside and waiting, or releasing it. In this case, and at this precise moment, I was very excited by the idea. The main reason why I am a director is to try to share this experience with humanity and to live this moment of communion where we share something. Of course, I love it when it happens in a movie theater, but this year I am touched and moved to think that it is done in people who cannot move, and in theaters for those who can. can. “
“There’s something wonderful about telling yourself it’s time to release the movie, no matter what happens next. But I’m on Chris’ side, and I’m going to immediately be a partner of the film industry. That’s what I make films for. “ Expected on December 25 in the United States, Wonder Woman 1984 should be released on the 16th in French theaters. Unless the next government announcements come to question the return of the Amazon in France.
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