Boxoffice Pro - January 2020

potential than others, but I’m not going
to handicap them. A Hidden Life is
a smaller film, but it’s arguably Terry
Malick’s most significant film since The
Tree of Life. And then we have Wendy and
Downhill both premiering at Sundance.
Wendy is Benh Zeitlin’s first film since
Beasts of the Southern
Wild. He’s a unique
storyteller, and this one
certainly follows in that
tradition. Downhill is
very exciting because it
unites Julia Louis-Dreyfus
and Will Ferrell in
a film that’s inspired
by Force Majeure. It’s
somewhat different, but
the basic setup is similar.
The directors won the
Academy Award jointly
with Alexander Payne for
writing The Descendants,
and it has that blend of
drama and comedy. Then
we have Antlers, Scott
Cooper’s horror film produced
by Guillermo del
Toro, in the spring. We
have the North American
rights to The Personal History
of David Copperfield
from Armando Iannucci, which is getting
a really good response. And we have The
French Dispatch, the next Wes Anderson
film. He’s doing something very different
from what he’s done before, very
adventurous, with a different kind of
story structure. He went from The Grand
Budapest Hotel, which was a big surprise,
to Isle of Dogs, and he’s done another
one. He continues to grow and evolve as
a storyteller, and it’s kind of astonishing.
We also have a film that’s been slow
in post-production because Chloé Zhao
is doing the Marvel film [Eternals]:
Nomadland, starring Frances McDormand,
which is going to be a very, very
interesting film. We’re currently shooting
The Eyes of Tammy Faye, with Michael
Showalter directing Jessica Chastain and
Andrew Garfield. That’s a very exciting
project. And Taika Waititi is shooting
his new film, Next Goal Wins, in Hawaii.
He’s just a prodigious talent.
I can’t pick favorites—it’s like asking
a parent which is the favorite child.
It’s very hard to make that pick. The
gratifying thing is we’re able to find these
Does the consumer get
that message? Do you
think they still have a
belief in the theatrical
experience?
I think that they do.
I think what happens is
they are more selective,
clearly when you have
franchise movies and not
just the Disney movies.
The Disney machine is
awesome and incredible,
but look at The Joker
too. Warner’s has done a
really good job. Those are
[preexisting properties],
but there are still original
movies. What Knives
Out is doing is fantastic.
What Tarantino did with
Once Upon a Time in
DEV PATEL STARS IN THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD
Hollywood is fantastic.
Ford v Ferrari is fantastic.
original projects that justify theatrical Downton Abbey making $98 million was
releases, and Disney is supporting that. fantastic. So I do believe that there is
That was another element of gossip: Was absolutely an eager, avid audience. The
Searchlight going to be relegated to doing
streaming? And that was never, ever dilemma is that the historic structure,
cinema experience is alive and well. The
a discussion. That was just gossip and the studio release slate, has to evolve to
speculation generated by the press and be more in sync with what public taste is
the industry because of the merger. But expecting and demanding—to spend the
the kinds of films I’ve been talking about money and the time to go to theaters.
are the kinds of films that Disney doesn’t But the fact that things like Knives
make and that deserve the big screen. I’ve Out and Ford v Ferrari [are doing well]
spent over 40 years in the industry, and means it’s not that people aren’t willing
I believe in the culture of cinema—storytelling
on a big screen with a crowd of that the bar has been raised, and clearly
to go to the theaters. The challenge is
people, often strangers, sharing in the experience.
I still see it over and over—Jojo are kind of extraordinary—even Joker
for event movies, these Disney records
was fantastic in the theater. Going from doing $1 billion is phenomenal. I don’t
the laughter to the tears and the surprises think it’s an unwillingness to go out to
is just different than sitting in someone’s the theaters. It’s the sheer volume of
living room. It’s a whole different expe-
competition.
rience. And it’s true for all these films.
... I do not believe watching movies on a
television or a cell phone or a laptop or
a tablet is the same experience. Whether
TV movies or streaming movies, we’ve
always had other kinds of movies, but
cinema is different.
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