“Annihilation” is coming….at least for those of us in the U.S., Canada and China. The new movie from “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland will hit the big screen in those countries, but everyone else, it’s debuting on Netflix seventeen days after it opens. Part of the reason behind the unique deal struck by Paramount and the streaming service is due to a fight between producers over the cut of the movie. Following a poor test screening (which according to The Tracking Board left some “a little confused and disappointed”), Skydance producer David Ellison wanted changes made to the film believing it was “too intellectual.” However, co-producer Scott Rudin backed Garland, and the director was able to make the movie he intended. However, as part of the process, Paramount decided to unload “Annihilation” abroad, with Netflix picking up half the budget, and studio protecting themselves financially.
All this to say, it’s not a great situation for a director to find himself in, and speaking with Collider, Garland is candid about his mixed feelings.
“Disappointment really. We made the film for cinema. I’ve got no problem with the small screen at all. The best genre piece I’ve seen in a long time was ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ so I think there’s incredible potential within that context, but if you’re doing that – you make it for that [medium] and you think of it in those terms,” he said. “Look… it is what it is. The film is getting a theatrical release in the States, which I’m really pleased about. One of the big pluses of Netflix is that it goes out to a lot of people and you don’t have that strange opening weekend thing where you’re wondering if anyone is going to turn up and then if they don’t, it vanishes from cinema screens in two weeks. So it’s got pluses and minuses, but from my point of view and the collective of the people who made it – [it was made] to be seen on a big screen.”
Be sure to vote with your dollars and show Paramount it’s okay to task risks with ambitious material when “Annihilation” opens on February 23, 2018.