Doug Liman’s upcoming “Road House” was one of the highest-testing films of his career — he’s the director behind “The Bourne Identity,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Swingers,” “American Made,” and “Go.”
We also know that Liman has been vehemently unhappy over the release strategy Amazon/MGM have given his upcoming “Road House.” The film will be released, under Amazon’s MGM label, directly to streaming on March 21. Liman swears it’s the wrong move, not just because it’s bad for the theatrical experience, but because he truly believes he’s made the best film of his career.
This has all led Liman to published an op-ed for Deadline where he says that he will be boycotting the world premiere of “Road House,” which is supposed to be taking place in March at the SXSW Film Festival:
When Road House opens the SXSW film festival, I won’t be attending. The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits. But I will not be there […]
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. Road Househas a strong tie-in to the UFC, which has a rabid and loyal fan base that has spawned over 1.5 billion social media impressions for the film, and marketing hasn’t even started yet. The action is ground-breaking. And 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. The reality is there’s nothing quite so fun as a good bar fight.
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. Amazon will exclusively stream Road House on Amazon’s 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.
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 goes on to state that he “tried everything to convince” Amazon to put “Road House” in theaters, he even asked them if he could sell “Road House” to another studio that would put it in theaters – they said no.
Last year, there was a report, via Puck’s Matt Belloni, that Gyllenhaal’s reps, Liman and producer Joel Silver “were so pissed that Amazon Studios chief Jen Salke refused to give “Road House” a theatrical release” that they decided to screen the film for Amazon’s Jeff Bezos.
This “Road House” remake sees Gyllenhaal playing a former UFC fighter who ends up working security in a shady Florida bar. It was supposed to be released theatrically last fall before Amazon/MGM pulled the plug on it.
The film, which stars Gyllenhaal, Daniela Melchior, Billy Magnussen, Jessica Williams, Darren Barnet, Arturo Castro, J.D. Pardo and Conor McGregor, will be streaming on Prime Video, March 21st.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.