David Lynch thinks that watching a movie on your phone is sad

David Lynch in David Lynch: The Art Life — (Image credit: Janus Films)

David Lynch isn’t holding back on his thoughts about watching movies on your phone. Speaking about the "distressing" state of feature films, the Mulholland Drive director called out the demise of the theatrical experience.

In a rare interview, he told French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema that "coronavirus has put a stop" to going to the theater. "Feature films are in a bad place, series have taken their place," he said, per The Guardian. "You could sit down and actually have the experience of stepping into a whole new world. Now that’s all in the damn history books. It’s distressing."

Lynch was also critical of watching movies on mobile phones. "I always say: people think they’ve seen a movie, but if they’ve watched it on a phone, they haven’t seen anything," he continued. "It’s sad." He also pointed out how while TV isn’t bad, "saying goodbye to movie theatres is the hardest part."

This isn’t the first time that the director has rallied against watching movies on your phone. Speaking in a video included on the Inland Empire DVD release, he said something very similar.

Lynch isn’t the only director to rally against the trend either, M. Night Shyamalan told SFX Magazine earlier this year that he wants viewers to watch movies at the cinema. "Let me be super-clear, audiences are dying to come to movie theatres to see great movies," the director said ahead of the release of Knock At The Cabin.

For more upcoming movies, check out our breakdown of all of the 2023 movie release dates on the way.

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.