Julianne Moore: 'A movie never looks the same on television'

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/24/julianne-moore-vod-video-on-demand

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Julianne Moore, who won the best actress prize at this year’s Oscars, has criticised the practise of releasing films simultaneously in cinemas and via on-demand services at home.

“A movie never looks the same on television,” she told the audience during a panel debate at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas. “We work very hard as creators in creating a theatrical experience.”

She added: “We’re always so disappointed when you hear the words day-and-date,” referring to the increasingly popular practise among (particularly indie) studios of releasing a film in cinemas, on DVD, and to stream via video-on-demand (VOD) home entertainment services, all on the same day.

For example, Sony used VOD to recoup some of its investment in The Interview, the comedy that enraged a hacker group with links to North Korea, who threatened terrorism against cinemas that showed it. After pulling it from major cinema chains, Sony made over $40m via on-demand services.

There is debate, though, over whether a day-and-date release hinders or enhances the profitability of a film. Boon Jong-ho’s dystopian thriller Snowpiercer made far more via on-demand than it did in cinemas, but analysts suggested that it could have made more, if given a traditional theatrical release followed later with VOD.

Moore also talked up the quality of indie movies, versus the “product” of the major studios. “Hollywood isn’t in the business of creating parts for actors. They’re in the business of creating product. It’s about making a package,” she said. “Working in the indie space has helped my career longevity. All of my successes – including my Oscar – sprung from these teeny tiny movies.” Her Oscar win this year was for Still Alice, an indie film about a woman coming to terms with early-onset dementia.

But Moore acknowledged her need to continue making big studio pictures. “The great parts are not going to come to you on a silver platter,” she said. “You need a commercial profile so that investors will invest in something smaller that I’m in. You can’t make a living doing just indie films.”

Also at the CinemaCon event were glimpses of footage from major new films including Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant, directed by Oscar-winning Birdman director Alejandro González Iñárritu; Ridley Scott epic The Martian; and Joy, which once again pairs director David O Russell and actor Jennifer Lawrence, following their success with American Hustle. “All three projects came off as very dark and tension-filled,” wrote Rebecca Ford of the Hollywood Reporter. “Russell’s footage was set to dark music and seemed much less lighthearted than his previous film American Hustle.”