The debate within Hollywood about what the future of the film industry will look like has been covered quite a bit already. Is the theatrical release model dead? Are streamers the future? Will traditional studios need to change their traditional approach moving forward? The pandemic has already advanced those discussions quite a bit with studios shortening the theatrical release window and streaming services releasing more and more content worldwide. And according to the Russo Brothers, this is all part of a paradigm shift, and the more filmmakers and the industry fights it, the more it’s going to be challenging.
Speaking to THR, Joe and Anthony Russo, the filmmakers behind the new Netflix film, “The Gray Man,” talked about the future of cinema in relation to traditional studios versus streaming partners. The Russos have extensive experience working with major studios such as Disney/Marvel with their ‘Captain America’ and ‘Avengers’ films. However, when they signed on to make Netflix’s “The Gray Man,” the streamer wrote them a check to cover a reported $200 million budget, blurring the definition of what makes a blockbuster a blockbuster. It begs, the question, can a Netflix film compete with the theatrical experience? The Russos certainly think so.
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“This is big cinema,” said Anthony Russo about making “The Gray Man.” “We made it for a theater. That’s how we shot it, how we styled it and, on a technical level, how we supported it. But we like working with new partners. There’s something very energizing about bringing a movie like this out with Netflix. They think about ways of reaching audiences differently.”
Joe Russo added, “Their mentality is more the mentality of a tech company than a studio. They’re very hands-off. Nobody bothers you. They have a different approach to how they control the budget on the movie. It’s not as stressful as it is at a studio. There are a lot of positives to working with them. And I’d argue that I think digital distribution has fostered more diversity in the past five years than Hollywood has in a hundred. Because they’re regionally supported, they need to foster connection and talent in those regional markets.”
As mentioned, since the pandemic began, we’ve seen Netflix and other streaming services release films that would most certainly be theatrical events a decade ago. However, now consumers can watch these features from the comfort of their couch or *GASP* on their laptops or mobile devices. The Russos believe that this is just a sign of the times and people need to understand that the theatrical experience isn’t the be-all, end-all for filmmaking anymore.
“Auteur filmmaking is 50 years old at this point. It was conceived in the ’70s. We grew up on that. We were kids, it was really important to us,” said Joe Russo. “But we’re also aware that the world needs to change and the more that we try to prevent it from changing the more chaos we create. It’s not anyone’s place to reject the next generation’s ideas. We’re in crisis right now because everyone’s at war with each other. It’s sad to see, as guys who grew up loving film.”
He continued, “A thing to remember, too, is it’s an elitist notion to be able to go to a theater. It’s very fucking expensive. So, this idea that was created — that we hang on to — that the theater is a sacred space, is bullshit. And it rejects the idea of allowing everyone in under the tent. Where digital distribution is valuable, other than what I said earlier about how it pushed diversity, is that people can share accounts; they can get 40 stories for the cost of one story. But having some kind of culture war about whether there’s value in that or not is fucking bananas to us.”
The Russos make a strong point about streaming services opening up the industry to more diverse talent because there are just more opportunities. But you have to assume many filmmakers and cinephiles would argue the theatrical experience is definitely sacred.
“The Gray Man” is in select theaters now and debuts on Netflix on July 22.
