Viggo Mortensen recently voiced his concerns about Amazon’s decision to forgo a widespread theatrical release for the upcoming film “Thirteen Lives” directed by Ron Howard. In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Mortensen expressed his belief that the film, in which he starred alongside Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton, deserves a proper theatrical release. He highlighted the fact that MGM, the studio behind the film, had initially planned to give it a grand theatrical release after receiving exceptionally high scores in test screenings, making it the highest-rated movie in the studio’s history.
According to Mortensen, the initial plan was to release the movie worldwide in numerous theaters. However, when Amazon acquired MGM, they initially agreed to honor the deal that MGM had made with Ron Howard, but later reneged on that promise. As a result, the film had a limited release in cities like Chicago, New York, LA, and London for only a week. Afterwards, it was exclusively available for streaming, which Mortensen found disappointing considering the high-quality cinematography of the movie.
On the other hand, “Thirteen Lives” premiered in selected theaters on July 29, 2022, and became available on Prime Video on August 5, 2022. The film received positive reviews, with many critics drawing favorable comparisons to Howard’s previous survival thriller “Apollo 13,” which also involved a race against time.
Mortensen criticized Amazon’s actions, attributing them to greed. He questioned the need for excessive wealth and suggested that Amazon could have honored their agreement by releasing the film in theaters and later on streaming platforms. However, he believed that Amazon opted for a more cost-effective approach, prioritizing their own profit over supporting theaters and investing in promotion. In his view, this decision ultimately stemmed from greed.
The actor expressed his disgust at how someone like Ron Howard, who has had such a successful and respected career in the film industry, could be treated in such a disrespectful manner. Despite Howard’s graciousness in not complaining about it, the actor felt compelled to speak out on his behalf, stating that he found the actions taken against Howard to be shameful.
Additionally, Mortensen shared his thoughts on the current state of film criticism, criticizing the lack of critical thinking in reviews nowadays.
The level of understanding that reviewers have about film history and the filmmaking process is quite low,” he remarked. “While there are some good reviewers who engage in interesting discussions about films, overall it’s not great. As a director-producer, I personally pay close attention to reviews. It matters to me a lot more than as an actor because the fate of the movie, including its distribution and theatrical release, depends greatly on how it is critically received.”