Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has come out against Warner Bros.' HBO Max content release strategy in 2020. The criticism comes after the media conglomerate’s recent slew of controversial cancelations and restructurings in the aftermath of the Warner Bros./Discovery merger.
At the tail end of 2020, Warner Bros announced that it would be releasing multiple theatrical projects for the next year on the HBO Max platform for streaming on day one as a response to the COVID pandemic that had negatively affected the industry and continued to do so for some time after. Spielberg weighed in on the matter in a recent interview focused on his latest project,an autobiographical piece titledThe Fabelmans.
RELATED:IT Prequel Series For HBO Max Finds Its Showrunners
In a recent interview withThe New York Timesin honor ofThe Fabelmans, inwhich the filmmaker spun a personal tale,film industry legend Spielberg made it clear that his distaste surrounding the decision held strong, even more than a year after the fact. “…the pandemic created an opportunity for streaming platforms to raise their subscriptions to record-breaking levels and also throw some of my best filmmaker friends under the bus as their movies were unceremoniously not given theatrical releases," Spielberg said. “They were paid off and the films were suddenly relegated to, in this case, HBO Max. The case I’m talking about.”
“…everything started to change. I think older audiences were relieved that they didn’t have to step on sticky popcorn,” Spielberg continued. “But I really believe those same older audiences, once they got into the theater, the magic of being in a social situation with a bunch of strangers is a tonic.” He was not alone in his condemnation of the actions, as fellow film veteran Christopher Nolan, whose latest projectOppenheimerreleased its first official trailerearlier in the year, was also very critical of the decision from the onset.
Spielberg, who holds the distinction asone of the most influential sci-fi film directors, is more qualified than most to level these sorts of complaints. However, the filmmaker was also sure to clarify that he would be willing to make content for a streaming platform as long as it was on his own terms. While theatrical releases are still the golden standard for the industry, streaming certainly has its place and offers a myriad number of advantages that allow for unique projects to find an audience that may otherwise be without the widespread appeal or budget necessary for a traditional release
The Fabelmansis set to hit theatres nationwide on the 23rd of November, 2022.
