James Gunn Says “Movies Don’t Last On The Big Screen”

James Gunn has stated that films “last because they’re seen on television” during a discussion on ‘The Suicide Squad’s’ joint release.

‘The Suicide Squad’ which released on July 30 last month underperformed at the box office grossing $26.5 million over it’s opening weekend which was far short of its $30 million projection.

One possible reason revenue fell short of expectations is that the film released on both streaming service HBO Max and in cinemas at the exact same time.

HBO Max chief Andy Fossell stated in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that ‘The Suicide Squad’ “was the second most viewed film ever over an opening weekend” on the platform.

Speaking to Variety shortly before the film’s release, director Gunn shared his thoughts on the joint release.

“I think it’s gonna work just fine on television. Listen, movies don’t last because they’re seen on the big screen. Movies last because they’re seen on television.”

Gunn used the film ‘Jaws’ as an example of a movie that became a classic not because people enjoyed watching in a cinema but instead because they enjoyed watching on a television at home.

“Jaws isn’t still a classic because people are watching it in theatres. I’ve never seen Jaws in a movie theatre. It’s one of my favourite movies.”

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