For years, word has circulated that Christopher Nolan isn’t a big fan of phones, and that’s partially true. He doesn’t like to see phones on film sets, and his movies often feel larger-than-life and geared toward the big screen, so it’s easy to assume that he might not love people watching his movies on phones, but that’s not the case. The Dark Knight Trilogy director has been a huge proponent of the cinematic experience to the point that he was reportedly a major force behind Warner Bros. releasing Tenet in theaters, but a new book reveals that Nolan has always been fine with people watching films on their mobile devices. Why? Because the viewers’ mind will essentially replicate the theater experience for them. Via IndieWire:
“‘Well, do you have a problem with people seeing ‘Dunkirk’ on my phone or whatever?’” Nolan asked himself before answering, “No, I don’t. But the reason I don’t is because it’s put into these big theaters as its primary form, or its initial distribution. And the experience trickles down, to the extent where, if you have an iPad and you’re watching a movie, you carry with you the knowledge and your understanding of what that cinematic experience would be and you extrapolate that. So when you watch a TV show on your iPad, your brain is in a completely different mindset.”
While Nolan has a reputation for being an intense cinephile, at the end of the day, he fully recognizes that movie-making is a business, and his push for getting audiences into theaters is all part of the “bums in seat” mentality. Once that initial theatrical run is over, he has no delusions or expectations that people won’t whip out their phones to catch his latest blockbuster. In fact, Nolan welcomes it, which is probably a good attitude to have as the theater industry is facing some dramatic changes in the months ahead.
(Via IndieWire)
