Steven Spielberg takes thinly veiled shots at Netflix and Hulu streaming services
'There’s nothing like going to a big dark theatre with people you’ve never met before'
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Your support makes all the difference.Steven Spielberg’s crusade against streaming services continues.
Accepting the Filmmaker Award at the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) awards in Los Angeles, California, the influential director praised the theatrical experience, saying “there’s nothing going to a big dark” cinema.
“I hope all of us really continue to believe that the greatest contributions we can make as filmmakers is to give audiences the motion picture theatrical experience,” he said, according to Variety. “I’m a firm believer that theatres need to be around forever.”
Spielberg – who has directed box-office blockbusters of Indiana Jones, ET, Jurassic Park and Jaws – did not name any singular streaming service, but did praise the quality of writing on television.
“I love television,” he continued. “I love the opportunity. Some of the greatest writing being done today is for television, some of the best directing for television, some of the best performances [are] on television today. The sound is better in homes more than it ever has been in history but there’s nothing like going to a big dark theatre with people you’ve never met before and having the experience wash over you. That’s something we all truly believe in.”
Bradley Cooper was on hand to present Spielberg the Filmmaker award, thanking him “for consistently pushing the envelope over decades of incredible work and for appreciating the contributions that sound has made not only to your films but to movies”.
In March last year, Spielberg said that Netflix films should not be awarded Oscars.
“Once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie,” he said at the time. “You certainly, if it’s a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar. I don’t believe films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination.”
This year’s Oscars look likely to award a Netflix film one of their top awards, as Roma heads into the ceremony with 10 nominations. While released worldwide on Netflix, the film had a limited run in select countries.
Follow along with all The Independent‘s Oscars coverage here.
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