‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Viewers Think Patty Jenkins Shouldn’t Talk About Making ‘Fake Movies’
There is no denying that the movie industry has taken a hard hit from the pandemic. When theaters were closed, Hollywood came to a stand-still for months. Now that theaters are starting to re-open, movie-goers and movie-creators are anxious to get the industry up and running again.
However, with the Delta surge, this has taken longer than anyone expected. Understandably, directors are getting frustrated with the lack of a big-screen presence. Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman 1984, seems particularly peeved at the slow pace.
But fans have taken issue with some of her comments. Let’s take a look at what she had to say and fans’ reactions to the comments.
Fake movies and streaming services
Jenkins has some unpopular opinions about streaming movies. Some Twitter users are infuriated over her comments in a Q&A session at CinemaCon in Las Vegas where she said:
“All of the films that streaming services are putting out, I’m sorry, they look like fake movies to me.”
Suggesting that all streaming movies are fake or flops is definitely an incorrect statement. When considering movies like Da 5 Bloods, directed by Spike Lee, and suggesting it looks like a fake movie is certainly a slap in the face to not only Spike Lee but also other directors who are very talented and simply can’t get their work approved by major studios.
Indeed, some films are released on streaming services exclusively because studios won’t release their movies. One Twitter user made a good point about the lack of representation in the film industry for Black and POC directors. For example, many Black filmmakers have done great work that was released directly for streaming.
Day-and-date wasn’t a great option, but it’s all we had
Wonder Woman 1984 was among the first blockbuster movies to be released day-and-date. Day-and-date is the term that is being used in the film industry now to describe movies that are being released simultaneously on streaming services as well as in theaters. Jenkins was not a fan of the way her film was released but said that she understood the reasoning.
Jenkins accepted the day-and-date release but was not a fan
Her comments at the recent CinemaCon in Las Vegas reflected what she really thought of the whole thing. As reported by the LA Times, Jenkins said:
“It was a heartbreaking experience and hugely detrimental to the movie, and I sort of knew that could happen. I was happy to give the movie to the public. I don’t think it plays the same on streaming ever. It was the right choice for all of us, and I was very much in deep conversation with Warner Bros. about that particular film. But no, I’m not a fan.”
Jenkins may have spoken from a place of anger when she made these comments, but in the eyes of movie fans, the comments were not well-received. Jenkins is a fine director. Her directorial debut hit Monster starring Charlize Theron was phenomenal. It’s understandable that she feels that her work deserves to be on the big screen.
