Quentin Tarantino Slams Films Shown Exclusively On Streaming Platforms

During a Cannes interview with Deadline, renowned filmmaker Quentin Tarantino discusses his feelings about streaming services and their original movies. According to Tarantino, films made exclusively for services like Netflix do not exist to him since they “don’t exist in the zeitgeist.”

During the interview, Tarantino mentions that he works under Sony for his tenth (supposedly last) film, The Movie Critic, which will start filming this year. Tarantino states that he believes Sony is one of the few remaining studios that respect the cinematic experience and pushes to create what he calls cinematic zeitgeists. “They are committed to the theatrical experience. They judge success by asses on seats,” Tarantino claims. “And they judge success by the movies entering the zeitgeist, not just making a big expensive movie and then putting it on your streaming platform.”

While he doesn’t have a strong distaste for streaming services or anyone creating stories through them, he remarks how most exclusive films on Netflix or Amazon are easily forgotten and lost in the mix. Tarantino provides an example with Ryan Reynolds’ films like 6 Underground to Red Notice, noting how no one seems to talk about them after they have been released on Netflix. “I don’t know what any of those movies are. I’ve never seen them. Have you?” he jokes. “Good for him that he’s making so much money. But those movies don’t exist in the zeitgeist. It’s almost like they don’t even exist.” He reminds the interviewer that he doesn’t hold too much bad blood against streaming services. However, he does note that the pandemic did help diminish interest in theaters and what he calls cinematic experiences.

When asked if he would be feeding these services after he retires and goes more into television work, Tarantino affirms that notion while noting that he approves of television. Instead, he feels that most television shows create characters and focus on “their backstories, and then you watch them fight or hook up or this or that and the other. And it’s just a soap opera.” To him, it doesn’t create the same impact weeks later as it does after watching a film, but he adds, “When I’m watching it, it’s compelling.”