Acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has condemned the current state of the film industry. The Pulp Fiction director rose to Hollywood stardom with his stunning debut Reservoir Dogs in 1993 and has gone on to enjoy a critically and commercially successful career across nine feature films. The 61-year-old has long stated that his 10th movie will be the last of his career, but some of his recent comments suggest audiences could be waiting a while before he decides to make it.

While at the Sundance Film Festival (via Variety), Tarantino revealed his next project was to be a play, not a movie, before launching a scathing attack on the state of the movie industry currently, as well as the fact that theatrical releases are not the focal point anymore. He goes on to call the whole process a “…show pony exercise,” before reiterating the importance of theaters for helping to keep the movie industry ticking over. Check out Tarantino’s full comments on the matter below:

“That’s a big f*cking deal pulling [a play] off, and I don’t know if I can. So here we go. That’s a challenge, a genuine challenge, but making movies? Well, what the f*ck is a movie now? What — something that plays in theaters for a token release for four f*cking weeks? All right, and by the second week you can watch it on television. I didn’t get into all this for diminishing returns.

I mean, it was bad enough in ’97. It was bad enough in 2019, and that was the last f*cking year of movies. That was a sh*t deal, as far as I was concerned, the fact that it’s gotten drastically worse? And that it’s just, it’s a show pony exercise. Now the theatrical release, you know, and then, like, yeah, in two weeks, you can watch it on this [streamer] and that one. Okay. Theater? You can’t do that. It’s the final frontier.”

What These Comments Mean For The Film Industry & Tarantino’s Final Film

It Could Be Some Time Before His Next Movie

Tarantino’s comments come from a place of frustration, from a man who was first and foremost a movie fan before he was a filmmaker. His comments suggest that he is jaded with the direction the industry has taken, as well as the rise in the prominence (and dominance) of streaming services over long theatrical runs. It is worth noting, that this is not the first time Tarantino has taken aim at the industry, with the director famously criticizing Marvel movies as being formulaic, and suggesting they have contributed to the death of the classic movie star.

Judging by what he has to say above, it seems Tarantino believes things have only gotten worse. The outspoken Oscar winner also recently proclaimed television as an inferior medium to movies, but it seems as though he believes there needs to be mᴀssive changes made across the industry, and he has little interest in returning to make his 10th and final film any time soon. This is likely one of the reasons that has inspired him to pivot creatively and write a play, while leaving his final movie project on the backburner.

Our Verdict On Tarantino’s Movie Industry Comments

The Director Does Have A Point, But His 10th Film Could Help Get Things Back On Track

Tarantino does have a point about the direction the movie industry is going in, though as a perfectionist, he is perhaps more critical than most audiences would be. Furthermore, while the industry is struggling, there is more of a need than ever for talented and creative minds, and Tarantino’s 10th movie could be the perfect tonic to help boost box office takings and improve audience engagement in theaters. Much will come down to how his play pans out, and Tarantino could be back behind the camera sooner rather than later.

Quentin Tarantino’s Comments Somewhat Oversimply Complex Problems

There Have Been Great Movies Since Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood Was Released

While there is definitely merit to Tarantino’s criticisms, his comments also oversimplify the issues at hand. Increasingly shortened theatrical releases, the proliferation of streaming services, studios’ relying on already popular intellectual properties, and diminishing returns for those who work on movies are among the many problems that are currently plaguing the industry. That being said, it is an oversimplification to say that 2019 “was the last f*cking year of movies.”

Tarantino referencing 2019 is no accident, as it is the year he released his latest film, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, and the last year before the industry was upended by the Covid-19 pandemic. Since Tarantino’s last release and despite the challenges that came with the pandemic, there have been many phenomenal movies that have debuted and that have found critical and commercial success. Oppenheimer, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Dune: Part Two are only a few of the best movies to be released so far in the 2020s.

Tarantino’s The Movie Critic, which was originally going to be his 10th and final movie, has been canceled, and he is in no rush to create another moment right now, especially when there are many issues within the industry. Tarantino’s current creative stance and the industry’s widespread issues do not negate the success and diverse range of successful and beautiful movies that have debuted since 2019. By the time Quentin Tarantino makes his next movie, there will be many other impressive films that have been released, and hopefully, some of the industry’s issues will have been addressed.

Source: Variety