Thank you, Sean Baker. We need more filmmakers to stomp for this cause, and last night, as he was accepting his DGA award, Baker called on all filmmakers to demand that studios give “at least” 90-day theatrical exclusivity on their films.
Let’s do whatever we can do to expand that theatrical window. Demand it. We make films for the big screen. Let’s expand it to at least 90 days […] Let’s get it back to the way it used to be.
Baker is echoing what Quentin Tarantino recently stated about this “new normal.” Tarantino mentioned how 2019 was the last year for movies because after that, studios decided to prioritize streaming profits instead of theatrical:
Well, what the fuck is a movie now? What — something that plays in theaters for a token release for four f*cking weeks? All right, and by the second week you can watch it on television.
You might already know that I wholeheartedly agree with Baker and Tarantino on this one. It’s infuriating to watch studios dump their successful films on streaming after just a few weeks of theatrical play. When a credible director makes a film, it’s for it to be seen in theatres and as a communal experience.
The most recent blatant example was “Wicked,” which, in late December, was still racking up some big money at the domestic box-office, but Universal decided that a month was more than enough time to throw it online. There was no pushback whatsoever from director John M. Chu or his stars.
Ever since the pandemic, where films that were meant for theatrical were sent straight to VOD, studios have found a way to make considerable profit out of speed-rushing their new titles to digital instead of just patiently waiting it out for theatrical runs to properly end. The whole thing completely devalues the worth of cinema.