George Clooney has joined the ranks of some of the best filmmakers in the world, recently, by having a major film debut on Netflix versus a traditional theatrical release. Even in a world that is devastated by a global pandemic, film fans are still getting a fairly steady stream of high profile content like the upcoming “The Midnight Sky” to keep them entertained. For George Clooney, speaking to Deadline, this is something that can’t be denied. And this doesn’t mean that theaters are going extinct.
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“I have to say, I feel as if everybody I think is afraid because of COVID right now that it’s just kicked everything into, okay, goodbye theaters,” said Clooney. “I don’t believe that to be true. I think we’ve gone through that with television and VHS and DVDs and everything. I don’t think that’s true at all. I think there’s going to be room for all of it. I mean Netflix, they were going to release [‘The Midnight Sky’] on a few hundred screens and we shot it in 65 so clearly it was designed to be released in a theater. But I see it as the ability to do both I think is always going to be there.”
He added, “Look, you can’t constantly say to your significant other let’s just stay home and watch shit on TV. You’ve got to go out sometimes. I don’t think we’re looking at the end of anything. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to have something like this now, but of course, it is upsetting that it’s not going to be screened on big screens like it was designed. There’s an awful lot of bigger problems in the world than my not getting my movie seen on a big screen. But I will say that it is awfully nice to have Netflix out there that you can go, okay, I’m going to be able to still see these things, which if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t get the chance to do that. I’ve had nothing but a great experience with them and would do it again in a heartbeat.”
Clooney’s comments seem to echo most everyone who has worked with Netflix in recent years. Though it’s shocking to see “The Midnight Sky” in your house and not in a theater, this year has been full of moments like that. David Fincher’s “Mank,” Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” Ron Howard’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” and more have all premiered on Netflix with very, very limited theatrical runs. And all of those are expected to be contending for awards this year.
Ultimately, Clooney goes a step further and doesn’t just defend Netflix and talk about how streaming can coexist with theaters. He actually says that filmmakers and actors should be happy that streaming is as prevalent as it is right now, considering there are more projects now than ever before in production.
“Look, If you’re an actor or a director or a writer or any part of the business end of this, this is nothing but good,” said Clooney. “There are so many more outlets and ways. If I was a young actor, so many more opportunities for work. I just think it’s all good news, ultimately. I think cinema is going to continue on. Chris Nolan’s right about writing for the cinemas. Of course we should and we should always do that and we will continue to do that. I think right now it’s a lot to ask people, we’re telling people not to go to Thanksgiving dinner and put their kids in school. It’s hard to say ‘but come see my movie.’”
“The Midnight Sky” is expected to arrive on Netflix on December 23.