James Gunn doesn’t care about the theatrical vs. streaming battle. The filmmaker originally got his start with writing the screenplay for the film Tromeo and Juliet. He went on to write the script for the remake of Dawn of the Dead in 2004, although he truly made a splash into the mainstream with his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ultimately placed him in a spot where he was brought on to make The Suicide Squad.
Gunn’s film set in the DC Extended Universe was released in theaters simultaneously with its HBO Max release, which is how other Warner Bros. movies have been released in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. After working on The Suicide Squad, it has been announced that Gunn will be teaming up with John Cena once again on a Peacemaker television series for HBO Max. The series is based on the DC Comics character and will be composed of a total of 8 episodes for the first season. Currently, Peacemaker is supposed to debut on the streaming service in January 2022.
In an interview with Variety, Gunn talked about his experience working on The Suicide Squad. When asked about the hot topic of theatrical versus streaming releases, he mentioned that he doesn’t really care about that. He explained that movies can exist away from the big screen, using Jaws as an example. Gunn discussed the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has impacted the ways that audiences interact with their media. While he noted that he would rather have people go to the theater to see his movies, he doesn’t mind if people are watching his content through streaming services. See below for his full statement:
“I don’t really care that much. I really just care about whatever the project is in front of me. The Suicide Squad is made to be seen first and foremost on a big screen. I think it’s gonna work just fine on television. Listen, movies don’t last because they’re seen on the big screen. Movies last because they’re seen on television. Jaws isn’t still a classic because people are watching it in theaters. I’ve never seen Jaws in a movie theater. It’s one of my favorite movies.
“I think that doing the Peacemaker show taught me I can be equally happy there. In fact, in some ways, I’m more comfortable in television, because I get more time to focus on the characters, and I don’t feel so pressured to move to the next scene and the next scene and the next scene. I also don’t want the theatrical experience to die. I don’t know if that is possible, but we also don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve still got COVID, because people won’t get vaccinated, which, you know, they should. Hopefully — hopefully — that will not be a big deal to us in a year. And if that’s the case, what’s going to happen? We don’t know. Nobody knows. I care, because I would rather have people be able to go to the movies. But also, if they don’t, I’m not going to go slit my wrists. I don’t care that much. [Laughs]”
Netflix has been considered the king of the streaming world for quite some time. However, as they have succeeded, other streaming services have started to appear. Netflix has received varying levels of competition from the likes of Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, among others. The theater industry has feared that streaming services will put them out of business. With the COVID-19 pandemic, some theaters were forced to close their doors, so this fear has only become even more real. Some filmmakers have spoken out against companies like Netflix, seeing them as the enemy of the film industry.
With releases such as Small Axes on Amazon Prime Video, some people have started to question what is considered television versus what is considered a film. The boundaries that used to exist between the two has become blurred, which has only become more true with the existence of streaming services. Many audiences associate movies with the theater experience, although there are plenty of ways to experience a movie. Gunn made an excellent case with Jaws, as he loves the movie but has never had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen. While there is nothing quite like the theater experience, plenty of filmmakers are happy to have folks watch their film, regardless of whether it’s in a dark theater or someone’s living room. However, to keep the theater business alive, audiences cannot simply ignore them in favor of streaming services.
Source: Variety
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