I am just so fascinated with this \u201cBatgirl\u201d story that I\u2019m eating up every article I can get my hands on like \u2013 well, what better metaphor can I use than popcorn?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In case you\u2019re not up to speed on what I\u2019m talking about, \u201cBatgirl\u201d is a movie that was set to be released, yet now \u2013 barring some miracle \u2013 will never see the light of day, or better yet, the dark of a movie theatre. NO, no, no, how \u2018bout this: the cramped confines of a mobile device people watch streaming services on \u2013 as it was scheduled to head straight to HBO Max, not theatres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I joke out of jealousy, but only a mild case \u2013 I want creatives to succeed. But as someone who\u2019s still on the struggle bus, it\u2019s hard to feel sorry for someone who has a roof over their head, food in their belly, and was paid handsomely for their work even if no one sees it. There\u2019s tons of us out here who\u2019ve never had our shit seen. Big fucking deal. And yet I understand how it is a big fucking deal to someone fortunate enough to get to the level of making a movie, to have the rug unceremoniously pulled out from under them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The directors of \u201cBatgirl,\u201d Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, released a statement saying they were \u201cshocked and saddened,\u201d by the news, which it seems they found out the same way that all the rest of us did, but don\u2019t quote me on how they found out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But anyway, I was a bit shocked and saddened that they were shocked \u2013not saddened, I understand saddened \u2013 by this news. Yes, many people in the business are saying this is an unprecedented move by the new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, but be that as it may, this is still a business. A business \u2013 and I say this all the time \u2013 that can be quite ruthless. You can never be sure about anything outside of what\u2019s in your contract. Hell, you may even have to fight to uphold that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless you go the Tyler Perry route, as creatives you are always at the mercy of the studios. Or, perhaps if you\u2019re a big enough name director, you may have more pull. However, I read reports that Christopher Nolan left Warner Bros for Paramount because of disagreements he had with the previous head of Warner Bros., Jason Kilar. So, you just never know. All you can know is that nothing is guaranteed until it\u2019s guaranteed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s definitely a hard lesson learned, and I wonder what the directors\u2019 takeaway will be from it. I wonder if it will change or affect how they do business going forward, or how other creatives will react, or make moves as their projects go into development and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then again, they ARE creatives, so maybe someone will create a way for them to not be so susceptible to getting the short end of the stick when it comes to these types of deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hurt feelings and tough breaks aside, I think this was an excellent move by David Zaslav. A bold an overdue move that needed to be done. Because in actuality \u201cBatgirl\u201d and that Scooby Doo movie that was also cut were just casualties in a bigger war of straight-to-streaming vs. theatrical release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It looks like Zaslav wants to return to prioritizing theatrical releases. He understands, and I agree, that there is a certain something about movie-going culture, that can\u2019t be duplicated watching a movie in the privacy of your own home, or piecemeal on you breaks at work, or on a flight somewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is something about nerds, I mean die-hard fans, dressed up like Harry Potter or Star Wars characters waiting in line for the first midnight showing. There is something about overpriced popcorn, and sitting in a crowded theatre full of strangers that just can\u2019t be duplicated in by a straight to streaming release. It\u2019s the whole pomp and circumstance of the thing. It\u2019s how we got movie stars to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you ask me, we don\u2019t have any big-name movie stars now. I mean other than the guys that have been around for 15-20+ years. But can you name one big name movie star that became a big-name movie star in the last 10 years even? I certainly can\u2019t. I believe that\u2019s due to all these streaming services. They\u2019re spreading everything too thin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While straight-to-streaming was a good alternative during the quarantine \u2013 it is after all, how I saw \u201cIn the Heights\u201d and \u201cKing Richard\u201d \u2013 now that everything has opened back up, it\u2019s no longer ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think the success of \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d and some other movies, have demonstrated that. Zaslav recognizes that and wants to return DC Comics movies to a movie-going event, instead of a HBO Max and chill type situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the advent of all these streaming services, I think executives have gotten caught up in the technology of it and lost sight of the culture. If nothing else (well actually a whole lot else, but for the sake of cliches I\u2019ma go with it) what lockdown taught us is that people rather be out and about with strangers than hold up in their houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t get me wrong, there\u2019s nothing wrong with a straight to streaming movie, or a TV movie. I love a good Lifetime or Hallmark Channel movie as much as the next woman, but I\u2019m not paying for that shit in the theatre. Just the same, a big franchise movie such as \u201cBatgirl\u201d doesn\u2019t belong on a streaming service or TV on it\u2019s first run. It belongs in a theatre, and to do otherwise, cheapens the movie I think, and disregards the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to \u201cBatgirl,\u201d there have also been reports that the movie wasn\u2019t that good. So I guess, rather than spending the extra money it would take to fix it up, not to mention market it with no guarantee that it would be profitable, Zaslav decided he would go the tax write-off route, given that this movie was part of the merger. Who knows, he may have even broke even doing that\u2026I don\u2019t know how these tax write-off things go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s my hope that other studio heads will follow suit with Zaslav and stop releasing movie-theatre worthy films on streaming services. And I said all that to say, bring back Blockbuster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am just so fascinated with this \u201cBatgirl\u201d story that I\u2019m eating up every article I can get my hands on like \u2013 well, what better metaphor can I use than popcorn? In case you\u2019re not up to speed on…<\/p>\n