It’s not every day you see M Night Shyamalan wading into a fight. And admittedly, this one was more a war of words than a punch-happy pub brawl. But he’s been adding his voice to the debate over whether traditional film releases will soon be a thing of the past.
See, Steven Soderbergh and business partner Mark Cuban have been proposing plans to release films on DVD and cable at the same time as they arrive in cinemas. They claim it’s the way of the future. But Night? He’s not convinced.
“It’s greed,” fumed Shyamalan at the ShowEast distributor’s event in Florida. “It’s heartless and soulless and disrespectful. And of course, cable companies are behind it, and Internet companies. They need their product. But they have to wait their turn. Wait for the thing to finish its life.”
He’s also convinced that, despite the recent box-office slump, there’s still hope for traditional cinema releases. “If you inspire audiences, cinemas will be packed,” the helmer insisted. “That’s when the collective soul is talking. Great movies connect everybody.”
Over to you, Steven…
