Steven Spielberg is about to release his first original sci-fi blockbuster in 25 years, Disclosure Day, but the legendary director says he doesn't mind if audiences watch "first-run" movies at home, even if he prefers movie theaters.
Speaking on The Rest is Entertainment podcast, Spielberg touched on the importance of theatrical distribution post-COVID, revealing that his once militant stance on streamers seems to have softened somewhat.
"It’s critical for the longevity of motion picture exhibition, without which everything will become a home experience, or basically a smartphone experience," Spielberg said. "I don’t think anybody should watch a first-run movie on a very tiny screen. It’s okay to come home and watch a first-run movie on a screen in your home, but I prefer movie theaters. I prefer the moviegoing experience. I was raised that way."
Spielberg, of course, is one of the few major directors left who has yet to direct a movie or TV show for one of the streaming giants, though his company, Amblin, did produce The Thursday Murder Club for Netflix last year. Just a few years ago, Spielberg had harsh words for HBO Max in particular, after the streamer's 'Project Popcorn' initiative saw a full year's worth of theatrical movies debut day and date on the streamer, without filmmaker input, including Dune and Mortal Kombat.
"We all got into our own bomb shelters during Covid," Spielberg continued. "And I think people are now starting to realise the importance of big group communal experiences, of getting our communities back together again: watching concerts, watching plays, watching movies, watching opera, going to the New York City Ballet. People getting back together again is the greatest way to bridge our differences.”
Disclosure Day is Spielberg's latest movie, and something of a companion piece to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. It stars Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor as two strangers on the run from an extra-governmental organization tasked with keeping the existence of aliens under wraps from the public. Already seen the movie? Check out our Disclosure Day ending explained. Still avoiding spoilers? Then our spoiler-free Disclosure Day review has you covered.
Disclosure Day is out now in UK cinemas, and releases in US theaters on June 12. For more, dive into our list of upcoming movies heading your way throughout the year.
