The last few years have seen the film industry change pretty significantly, specifically in the realm of what projects get the green light at a major studio. With streaming content becoming more and more prominent in the public’s mind and box office leaning heavily towards franchises and established IP, we’re seeing a distinct lack of original ideas and adult-themed films. And for director Francis Lawrence, he believes that’s a factor that played out over the course of production and release of his 2018 spy drama “Red Sparrow.”
Speaking to /Film, Lawrence talked about why he feels that “Red Sparrow” might not have been a huge hit for him, as well as why he thinks films like the Jennifer Lawrence-starrer just don’t get made anymore. Unsurprisingly, he thinks box office expectations and the rise of streaming play major roles.
“It was already a different world from the moment we decided to make ‘Red Sparrow’ to when ‘Red Sparrow’ came out,” he explained. “I mean, for many reasons. One in terms of what people were going to the theaters to see, but also in terms of sexual politics. So it was a very different world that movie was released into. I certainly would not make that movie now or expect anybody to allow me to make it now at a studio for a theatrical release. I do believe that you could get a movie like that made at Netflix or Apple or maybe HBO or HBO Max or one of the other streamers. Not Disney+, clearly. But I feel like you can make that movie.”
He added, “I just don’t think any studio is doing it. I don’t think Fox is doing it. I don’t think Warner Brothers is doing it. I feel like they’re all so kind of desperate for IP-driven movies because they’re so afraid of what people are actually going to see that they’re just not doing it. And that’s the great thing about streaming is that you can do all kinds of stories.”
Obviously, making content for a streaming provider doesn’t have the same bells and whistles that come with a major film released worldwide by a major studio. And that means the measure of success for a streaming film or TV series is markedly different than for a typical blockbuster film or ratings-focused sitcom. For Lawrence, he sees the measure of success for a streaming project to be something a bit more abstract.
“The truth is ideally you make something that gets into the consciousness, even if it’s for a moment, where people are watching and talking about it and there are eyes on it,” Lawrence said. “So, that’s the payoff for me. I will always make something that can play large format, but my 16-year-old who watches a ton of stuff on his iPhone, fine by me, as long as they’re consuming it and thinking about it and it’s at least in the consciousness for a while. I think that’s a good payoff for me.”
As for what’s next for the filmmaker, we already know that he’s talked briefly with Lionsgate about a prequel film in the ‘Hunger Games’ franchise. And in the interview, he hints at an undisclosed Netflix project. So, it appears that, for the time being at least, Lawrence is content with staying on both theatrical releases and streaming projects.