On July 30, Scarlett johansson threw a paving stone in the pond while suing the firm Disney. The reason ? The simultaneous release of the film Black widow on Disney + and in the cinema, which would have caused the actress to lose a percentage of profit sharing on the film’s receipts at the cinema amounting to approximately $ 50 million. The actress openly attacked the new strategies of the large Hollywood companies, which made the choice to release their films both on streaming platforms, at the same time as theaters.
A legal attack that woke up many other actresses since Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise) and Emma Stone (Cruella) have similar ideas for the same reasons. Today, another strong link in international cinema has decided to emerge from the silence and his name is not insignificant since it is the filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. Director of Prisoners, First Contact, Blade Runner 2049 or even Dune, the Canadian had previously lashed out at the Warner, who had made the decision to go out Dune on HBO Max at the same time as at the cinema. A prospect which did not foolishly enthusiastic either the producers of Godzilla VS Kong, who threatened the Warner lawsuits before reaching a financial agreement to fully buy the film.
In a long interview published in Lapresse, he assures his support to the former star of MCU and shows that this exit strategy would sign the death of his Dune:
“This decision was like a stab in the back and it still remains unacceptable. Personally, I find that filmmakers tend to disengage and leave everything in the hands of distributors. However, the changes which occur in the world of distribution have a major impact on the very way of making films, on the evolution of the cinematographic language. I will defend theatrical cinema until the end. And if the boat ever sinks, I’ll be on deck! At one point, I admit that I needed a friend. Chris, an artist for whom I have immense respect, supported me and advised me. His kindness to me, just like Emma’s [Thomas, femme de Christopher Nolan et productrice de presque tous ses longs métrages], was important. But there, I sense on Warner’s part a desire to rebuild bridges. Dune was thought, dreamed, designed to [le grand écran]. Greig Fraser [le directeur photo] and I designed it as a love letter to the big screen and that’s why I took the HBO Max story as an insult ”
He then spent more time on the dispute between the actress and the big-eared firm:
“What would happen if the opposite happened and we did not respect the contracts that we signed on our side? In addition, it is wrong to believe that cinema on the big screen is not doing well. But this industry is on a roller coaster ride, which is at odds with Wall Street’s desire for stability. And these platform subscriptions provide studios with fixed income. I have nothing against platforms, quite the contrary. They are an extraordinary tool to give us access to the memory of cinema. But a film’s career must first start with the big screen. From now on, I will also contractually require my films to be released exclusively in theaters. ”
One thing is certain, this major problem in the film industry is set to last a very long time …