The movies Quentin Tarantino says “don’t even exist”
Alongside Christopher Nolan and Tom Cruise, Quentin Tarantino is one of the increasingly scarce names in Hollywood who wouldn’t even consider the idea of making a movie exclusively for streaming. The aforementioned trio are among the staunchest proponents of the theatrical experience. Although a huge number of their peers and contemporaries have headed to the small screen, each of them has been adamant their work won’t be seen anywhere other than the multiplex.
Of course, Tarantino was happy to allow Netflix to release an extended version of The Hateful Eight as a four-part miniseries. However, that came long after its original run on the big screen, with his opinion on the company’s original feature-length output being a great deal more scathing.
Netflix has made a habit of recruiting some of the biggest stars in the business, only to drop them into a string of forgettable mega-budget blockbusters that don’t make any sort of dent in either the public or cinematic consciousness. In an interview with Deadline, Tarantino sought to clarify that he wasn’t singling anyone out in particular before immediately singling out Ryan Reynolds. His lucrative association with the streamer has so far yielded Michael Bay’s 6 Underground, Rawson Marshall Thurber’s Red Notice, and Shawn Levy’s The Adam Project.
“I mean, and I’m not picking on anybody, but apparently for Netflix, Ryan Reynolds has made $50million on this movie and $50m on that movie and $50m on the next movie for them,” he said. “I don’t know what any of those movies are. I’ve never seen them. Have you?”
A lot of people have, considering Red Notice is the most-watched Netflix original movie in history, but generic actioners clearly aren’t Tarantino’s cup of tea. “I haven’t ever talked to Ryan Reynolds’ agent”, he continued, “but his agent is like, ‘Well, it cost $50million'”.
Tarantino did at least acknowledge how it’s “good for him that he’s making so much money”, but in his eyes, “those movies don’t exist in the zeitgeist”. In fact, according to the two-time Academy Award winner, “It’s almost like they don’t even exist”.
He makes a noteworthy point regarding the relevance of Netflix’s costliest projects, none of which have gathered reputations for being an important part of the cinematic landscape. They’re entirely okay for what they are – namely, whittling away a couple of hours – but on the other hand, any A-lister would find it difficult to turn down the prospect of earning tens of millions of dollars, especially knowing there’s no chance the movie in question will gain a reputation as a box office bomb when it doesn’t even see the inside of a cinema.
Never Miss A Take
The Far Out Quentin Tarantino Newsletter
All the latest Quentin Tarantino content from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.