Doug Liman, director of the Jake Gyllenhaal-led action film “Road House,” has voiced his frustration over the streaming release of his movie in an interview. While promoting his new Apple movie “The Instigators,” Liman shared with IndieWire his concerns about not being properly compensated for the film’s success on streaming platforms. Originally intended as a theatrical release for MGM, “Road House” was shifted to streaming after Amazon acquired MGM.
Amazon reported at the start of April 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 this success, Liman claims he never saw any backend pay from the film’s blockbuster streaming numbers. Amazon is yet to comment on this.
“First of all, I have no issue with streaming,” Doug Liman said. “We need streaming movies because we need writers, directors, and actors to go to work, and not every movie should be in a theatre. So I’m a big advocate of TV series, streaming movies, and theatrical movies; we should have it all.”
Liman’s issue with “Road House” is rooted in the financial implications of the switch to streaming. “We made the movie for MGM to be in theatres, and everyone was paid as if it was going to be in theatres. Then Amazon switched it on us, and nobody got compensated,” he 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.”
Liman had originally planned to boycott the world premiere of “Road House” at SXSW due to the film’s streaming release. Variety reported at the time that “Road House” was always intended for a global streaming release. Sources familiar with the negotiations revealed that Liman, Jake Gyllenhaal, and producer Joel Silver were given a choice: make the film for $60 million with a theatrical release or take $85 million with a streaming-only release. They opted for the latter, but the terms of the deal regarding backpay remain unclear. Gyllenhaal later confirmed the report in an interview with Total Film magazine.
“I adore Doug’s tenacity, and I think he is advocating for filmmakers, film in the cinema, and theatrical releases. But, I mean, Amazon was always clear that it was streaming,” Gyllenhaal said. “I just want as many people to see it as possible. And I think we’re living in a world that’s changing in how we see and watch movies and how they’re made. What’s clear to me, and what I loved so much, was [Liman’s] deep love for this movie and his pride at how much he cares for it, how good he feels it is, and how much people should see it.”
Doug Liman’s primary concern now is the lack of compensation despite the film’s significant streaming numbers. He told IndieWire that his experience with Apple on “The Instigators” was vastly 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.
Amazon announced in May that a sequel to “Road House” is in development, with Jake Gyllenhaal set to reprise his lead role. Liman’s involvement in the sequel is not yet known. By mid-May, “Road House” had attracted 80 million global viewers on Prime Video after launching on March 21.
