The Japan Times - Shakespeare would have shunned streaming, 'Hamnet' team says

With Hollywood's traditional business model roiled by the explosive growth of companies like Netflix in recent years, filmmakers are increasingly pushing back, urging studios to preserve the moviegoing experience.

And "Hamnet" -- the story of Agnes and William Shakespeare's grief over the death of their son in plague-ravaged 16th century England -- is one of those films that demands communal viewing, its producers say.

"It shows the universality of storytelling... and how people are so eager to be in a shared experience that enables them to really feel part of a story," producer Nic Gonda told AFP.

"What's been so exciting over the last month or so is to see how what started as a release in America has now rippled around the world."

Fellow producer Pippa Harris, one of five people nominated in the best picture category for Chloe Zhao's elegiac tale of love and loss, lamented modern viewing habits.

"If you say to people, there's a film in the cinema this week and we can see it at home next week, then people just can't be bothered," Harris told AFP.

"They think, 'Oh, well, I'll wait at home and watch it on the streaming service.'"

Producer Liza Marshall said that idea of streaming being good enough is contrary to what the Bard stood for.

"It's totally different to see something on a big screen with a group of strangers. It's a really amazing experience," Marshall told AFP.

"It's more important than ever, as we all become so separate and just looking at our individual screens, that we all need to come together, like why Shakespeare wrote his plays -- for people to be in a room together and experience it."

- Grief -

"Hamnet," adapted from Maggie O'Farrell's novel, puts the spotlight on Agnes (Jessie Buckley), who must care for the couple's remaining children even as William (Paul Mescal) toils far away on London's stages.

The film blends period accuracy, heavy symbolism and magical realism, with Oscar-nominated Zhao coaxing a heart-wrenching performance from Buckley, a frontrunner for the best actress award.

"Hamnet," whose producers also include Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, has recouped its $30 million budget three times over, a figure that looks set to continue rising.

Harris of course acknowledges that at a certain point, movies leave the theater and hit the streaming services.

But, she insists, preserving a decent theatrical window of 45 to 90 days is a much better way to build value.

"I think the way you create excitement for streaming services is to create excitement in cinemas first," Harris said.

"And then people want to see the film later on the streaming service.

"If you just put it straight out onto the television, there's no buzz. There's no sort of cultural moment around the film."

"Hamnet" is vying for the best picture Oscar at the March 15 ceremony in Hollywood against "Bugonia," "F1," "Frankenstein," "Marty Supreme," "One Battle After Another," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value," "Sinners" and "Train Dreams."

K.Okada--JT