So after all the drama, it was all for nought as the premiere of Road House went ahead with everyone present and correct. Back in January, director Doug Liman said he was boycotting the premiere of his own movie over Amazon’s release strategy. Road House is going direct to streaming on Amazon Prime.
According to a report in Variety, Liman made an appearance at South by Southwest festival on Friday to attend the film’s premiere.
Jake Gyllenhaal was introducing the screening, which was held at Austin’s Paramount Theatre. Gyllenhaal directly thanked Amazon executives for their “commitment to the film” before also thanking “our incredible director” and then drawing attention to Liman in the audience. Gyllenhaal went on to say:
“He’s been a friend for over 15 years, I’ve wanted to work with him for that time, we’re so lucky. He’s so brilliant and this movie is too.”
As we reported earlier this year, Amazon had given the Road House filmmakers a choice between a $60 million budget for a theatrical release, or $85 million for streaming. They chose streaming. Somewhere, somehow, this did not chime with what Liman wanted or thought.
In an open letter, Liman said Amazon had:
“…asked [him] and the film community to trust them and their public statements about supporting cinemas.”
This is not a denial of the Amazon version of events.
In the movie, Gyllenhaal stars in the film as an ex-UFC fighter who is now a bouncer at a roadhouse in the Florida Keys. As in the original Patrick Swayze movie, his particular set of skills comes in handy when some local criminal figures can’t get their way with the drinking hole.
Road House will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on March 21st, just days away. It is expected to be one of the biggest streaming launches of the year. As for the reviews. Variety says it is an:
“…ultraviolent retread that makes slumming look artful… staged with a verve and wit and dynamic grittiness that make the original film look even more rickety than it once did.”
Shit. You had me at ultraviolent!
You know you’ll be watching it. So will I.
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