Doug Liman’s frustration with streaming: A deeper look into the ‘Road House’ controversy

The changing landscape of movie releases

In the ever-evolving world of cinema, the shift from theatrical releases to streaming platforms has sparked numerous debates. One such discussion has been ignited by Doug Liman, the director of the action-packed film Road House. Initially intended for a theatrical release under MGM, the movie’s fate took a turn when MGM was acquired by Amazon, leading to its debut on Prime Video. This decision has left Liman and his team feeling shortchanged, as they were not compensated for the film’s impressive streaming success.

The director’s perspective

Liman, while promoting his new Apple movie The Instigators, expressed his frustration over the situation. “First of all, I have no issue with streaming,” he stated. “We need streaming movies because we need writers, directors, and actors to work. Not every movie should be in a theater. I’m a big advocate of TV series, streaming movies, and theatrical movies. We should have it all.”

However, his issue with Road House lies in the fact that the movie was made with the expectation of a theatrical release. “Everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theaters. Then Amazon switched it on us, and nobody got compensated,” Liman added. “Forget about the effect on the industry — 50 million people saw Road House — I didn’t get a cent, Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t get a cent, [producer] Joel Silver didn’t get a cent. That’s wrong.”

The numbers game

Amazon reported that Road House attracted 50 million viewers worldwide over its first two weekends on Prime Video, making it the studio’s “most-watched produced film debut ever on a worldwide basis.” Despite these impressive numbers, Liman claims he never saw a cent of backend pay from the film’s streaming success.

The premiere controversy

Liman originally planned to boycott the world premiere of Road House at SXSW due to the film’s streaming release. Sources familiar with the negotiations revealed that Liman, Gyllenhaal, and producer Joel Silver were given a choice: make the film for $60 million and get a theatrical release or take $85 million and go streaming only. They opted for the latter, and it’s unclear what the terms of the deal were in terms of backpay. Gyllenhaal later confirmed this in an interview, stating, “I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers and theatrical releases. But Amazon was always clear that it was streaming.”

A different experience with Apple

Liman’s experience with Apple for The Instigators was markedly different. “In the case of Apple, right from the beginning, we said we’re making this for streaming, our contracts compensated streaming, we’re all compensated for it being on streaming — there’s something called a streaming buyout — so Apple has been above-board from the beginning,” he explained.

The future of ‘Road House’

Despite the controversy, Amazon announced in May that a sequel to Road House is officially in development, with Gyllenhaal set to reprise his lead role. Liman’s involvement in the sequel is not known at this time. The studio added that Road House had attracted 80 million global viewers on Prime Video by the middle of May after launching on March 21.

Personal reflections on the streaming debate

As a cinema enthusiast, it’s fascinating to witness the ongoing transformation of the film industry. The debate between theatrical releases and streaming platforms is not just about where we watch movies but also about how filmmakers and actors are compensated for their work. Liman’s frustration highlights a critical issue in this new era of digital distribution.

For those interested in exploring more about Road House, you can watch the trailer here. Similarly, for The Instigators, the trailer is available here.

the shift to streaming is inevitable, but it must be accompanied by fair compensation practices. As viewers, we can only hope that the industry finds a balance that respects the hard work of filmmakers while providing us with the convenience of streaming.