We're starting to think Wonder Woman 1984 director Patty Jenkins may not be the biggest fan of the day and date streaming model!
The DC Comics sequel was one of the first major blockbuster to be released in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service simultaneously because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Jenkins has previously described the move as "heartbreaking." Now, during an interview with the LA Times, the filmmaker has elaborated on her feeling towards straight-to-streaming content.
"Aren’t you seeing it? All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I’m sorry, they look like fake movies to me. I don’t hear about them, I don’t read about them. It’s not working as a model for establishing legendary greatness."
Jenkins appears to be referring to movies that are produced for streaming services specifically and not the type of large-scale blockbusters that are also being sent there via the day and date model (such as WW84, for example), but her comments are still sure to raise a few eyebrows. While it's true that quite a lot of streaming content does fall short, we've also had the likes of Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, David Fincher's Mank, and Bong Joon-ho's Okja, to name but a few.
Jenkins is far from the only filmmaker to push back against the current streaming boom, but at the end of the day, it was born out of necessity. We are finally beginning to see a return to normality and a longer theatrical window, but we still have a ways to go yet.
What do you guys make of Jenkins' comments? Do you think WW84 would have achieved "legendary greatness" if it remained a theatrical-only release?
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.