Freaky director Christopher Landon has called out studios for their day-and-date releases of films. Taking to Twitter, the director blamed the immediate availability of new films on streaming services for destroying the success of films, referring to the method’s impact on Halloween Ends’ opening weekend.
Landon expressed his annoyance at day-and-date releases in a series of posts on Twitter, urging studios to refrain from the process. “I feel another rant coming on: Today it’s the Day & Date release strategy for Halloween Ends. Stop doing this. Please. It doesn’t work,” Landon wrote on his Twitter account. The director argued that studios releasing films on demand while they are still in theaters are only doing so to further benefit their streaming platforms rather than looking out for filmmakers, stating, “Studios: stop gambling with filmmakers and their movies to try and prop up your fledgling streaming services.”
Landon’s posts come as a defense of all filmmakers, comparing his experience with his movie Freaky to what is currently happening with Halloween Ends. Landon’s comments appeared after Halloween Ends, the latest installment of Universal Pictures’ Halloween saga, was released in theaters on the same day as streaming became available on Peacock (Friday, October 14). It was expected to bring in over $50 million during its opening weekend (with the previous movie, Halloween Kills, opening with $49.4 million). However, the movie fell short of its target, heading for a $43.3 million opening weekend.
Landon lamented that the same thing happened to his movie, Freaky, in 2020, when it was made available to stream only a month after its release in theatres. The film, about a male serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) swapping bodies with a bullied teenage girl (Kathryn Newton), made $9 million dollars at the domestic box office, and was released during decisions made in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This happened to me on Freaky and it destroyed us. We worked SO HARD to make a fun movie. Blood sweat and tears. Months away from our families. And for what?” Landon went on to explain he doesn’t believe in the studios’ term, “two bites of the apple,” instead believing that Freaky was used “as a Guinea pig” for their streaming services.
Landon also made it clear in his posts that the studio knew he did not agree with the day-and-date release method used on his film, and is not the first filmmaker to speak out on the topic. “I begged the studio not to do this. Either circle the wagons and protect it for theatrical or just go all in on streaming. Don’t split hairs,” he wrote, adding “We got hosed.” At the end of his posts, he urged studios to “Honor the sanctity of the theatrical experience.” In late 2020, filmmaker Christopher Nolan known for directing Tenet (2020) and Inception (2010) among others, also criticized Warner Bros.’ announcement that its releases for 2021 would be available day-and-date on streaming service HBO Max.
Halloween Ends is the thirteenth installment of the long-running Halloween slasher franchise, and is the third film in the series directed by David Gordon Green. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, James Jude Courtney, Andi Matichak, Will Patton, Rohan Campbell, Kyle Richards, and Nick Castle. It also wraps up Michael Myers (Castle) and Laurie Strodes’ (Curtis) multi-decade chilling tale. Halloween Ends is currently in theaters and streaming on Peacock.
Check out Landon’s tweets below:
