Quentin Tarantino says that 2019 was the "last year of movies" as streaming took over: "What the f*ck is a movie now?"

Quentin Tarantino
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Quentin Tarantino is not very happy with the movie industry at the moment. In a recent talk at Sundance Film Festival, the legendary director said that theatrical releases have gotten "drastically worse" since 2019, a year he considers "the last fucking year of movies".

In a conversation with film critic Elvis Mitchell, Tarantino opened up about his views on cinema and streaming today, and why theater might be his new favorite medium.

"That's a big fucking deal pulling [a play] off, and I don't know if I can. So here we go. That's a challenge, a genuine challenge, but making movies? Well, what the fuck is a movie now? What — something that plays in theaters for a token release for four fucking weeks? All right, and by the second week you can watch it on television," he ranted on.

"I didn't get into all this for diminishing returns. I mean, it was bad enough in '97. It was bad enough in 2019, and that was the last fucking year of movies. That was a shit deal, as far as I was concerned, the fact that it's gotten drastically worse? And that it's just it's a show pony exercise. Now the theatrical release, you know, and then like yeah, in two weeks, you can watch it on this [streaming service] and that one. Okay. Theater? You can't do that. It's the final frontier."

Tarantino's latest movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, came out in 2019 (aka "the last fucking year of movies"). His fans have been waiting since then for an update on his last film, since the filmmaker announced his 10th movie will be his last, but he said he is in "no hurry" to do it. Instead, he is writing a play, as theater presents more of a "challenge" for him.

In 2023, Tarantino announced a new project under the provisional title of The Movie Critic, with Brad Pitt rumored to star, but the filmmaker reportedly moved on from the project. There were also rumours of the director helming an R-Rated Star Trek film, but he revealed in 2019 that that's not happening either. Seeing his views on the industry right now, it might be a while until Tarantino returns to the big screen.

For more, check out our guide to upcoming movies, and ranking of the best Tarantino movies.

Mireia Mullor
Contributing Writer

Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.

Read more
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino is in "no hurry" to make his final movie – and has teased what he's "probably" doing next instead
Michael Bay
Michael Bay and James Cameron had a call to commiserate over the state of the movie industry: "No one can greenlight anything anymore"
Oppenheimer
Netflix CCO claims that Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer would have had same cultural impact if it was a Netflix exclusive
Brady Corbet
The Brutalist director hopes his new movie proves Oppenheimer's commercial success wasn't a fluke: "People are actually interested in all of these things that sales companies frequently tell you are like box office poison"
christopher nolan
Christopher Nolan says Gladiator II is one of his favorite films of 2024: "Why are there sharks in the Colosseum? Because we demand them"
Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in Don't Look Up
This Netflix movie might have flopped with critics, but the director claims 500 million people watched it
Latest in Movies
Claymore
Over 20 years later, live-action adaptation of beloved Claymore manga and anime in development by Heroes star
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joins Spider-Man 4 and fans are already theorizing she might be X-Men’s Jean Grey
This is Spinal Tap
First Spinal Tap 2 teaser reveals release date for comedy sequel that’s over 40 years in the making
Lea Myren as Elvira in The Ugly Stepsister
Cinderella body horror movie that made viewers sick gets release date, and it’s coming very soon
Millie Bobby Brown in The Electric State
All of the Best Picture winners of the last 10 years combined still have a lower budget than the Russo brothers’ new Netflix movie
Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth
Jurassic World Rebirth studio asked Scarlett Johansson to join Instagram, but she refused: "The film will do fine"
Latest in News
Overwatch 2
My hopes for an Overwatch anime or Diablo horror movie are going strong as Blizzard president points out "we are Blizzard Entertainment, and not simply Blizzard Games"
The New Thunderbolts leaping into action
Marvel's New Thunderbolts* comic steals the MCU's asterisk, and the reason why is just as big of a mystery
Pokemon Go players brace for the worst as Niantic is sold off for $3.5 billion: "This game is entering its death knell"
Stamp PSP
A 16-year-old pitch for a newly discovered first-party PSP game has me mourning the death of PlayStation's Japan Studio all over again
Astarion from Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor Neil Newbon says he "got rid of" agents who deliberately kept him away from video game gigs: "They just didn't want me to do it"
Mass Effect
Jennifer Hale says she didn't see a single line as Mass Effect's Commander Shepard until it was time to record: "It was all cold reading on the spot"