Christopher Nolan hates streaming.
Hates.
He wants you to see his movies on the big screen. And if it’s not on the big screen, he figures you might as well rub shoe polish in your eyes.
When WarnerMedia made the call to release its films on HBO Max on the same day as theaters, Nolan went nuclear.
“Some of our industry’s biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service,” Nolan said to The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.
“Warner Bros. had an incredible machine for getting a filmmaker’s work out everywhere, both in theaters and in the home, and they are dismantling it as we speak. They don’t even understand what they’re losing. Their decision makes no economic sense, and even the most casual Wall Street investor can see the difference between disruption and dysfunction.”
WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar seemed to recognize he might have done some damage with his decision. He says he had more than 700 conversations with the creative community in the days surrounding the announcement. “Change is hard,” Kilar said. “And people don’t like change in many cases and surprises are also hard for people. And so these are all careful needles that we’re trying to thread and continue to try to thread and I’m incredibly happy with where we’re at today. But there’s no doubt that it was bumpy back in early December of last year.”
Today, Nolan burned his bridge with his longtime studio home, choosing Universal for his next film about J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atom bomb. Since Universal killed off their deal with HBO Max, that means after it hits theaters, the next Nolan film will first stream on Peacock.
Not that Christopher Nolan wants you watching it there. But there it will be.
The Best of Christopher Nolan
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Tenet
August 22, 2020Armed with only one word - Tenet - and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
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Dunkirk
July 19, 2017The story of the miraculous evacuation of Allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who were cut off and surrounded by the German army from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk between May 26th and June 4th 1940 during World War II.
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Interstellar
November 5, 2014The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
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Inception
July 15, 2010Cobb, a skilled thief who commits corporate espionage by infiltrating the subconscious of his targets is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible: “inception”, the implantation of another person’s idea into a target’s subconscious.
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The Dark Knight
July 16, 2008Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.
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The Prestige
October 19, 2006A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy — full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
This much-loved Christopher Nolan classic features Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie.
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Batman Begins
June 10, 2005Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.
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Insomnia
May 24, 2002Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn’t set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.
Christopher Nolan directs a great cast including Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, and Maura Tierney.
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Memento
October 11, 2000Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife’s killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he’s going, or why.
