“They are going out of their way to fuck me,” saidQuentin Tarantino, one of the seemingly few people on planet Earth not all too thrilled with Disney andStar Wars: The Force Awakens. The filmmaker, who’s getting ready to release a 70mm “road show” ofThe Hateful Eighton Christmas Day, put the Mouse House on blast during an interview withHoward Sternfor dominating the cinema space withStar Wars.
The Cinerama Dome theater is a famed spot in L.A. It’s important for Tarantino; the Cinerama logo even appears in the opening credits ofThe Hateful Eight. Few spots are available to house a 70mm screening of this work, and, according to the director, the Dome was one of the locations originally slated to premiere his eighth work starting on December 25th. Now,The Hateful Eightis getting pushed out, due to a push by Arclight Cinemas and Disney to giveThe Force Awakensan extended run through the holidays.
“It was real bad news and it fucking pissed me off," Tarantino told Stern onhis Sirius radio show. He later explained, “I madeThe Hateful Eightfor the Dome…This is the first time seeing it at the Dome for me too, and it was like I hadn’t even seen it before, not like this.” Tarantino called the action “vindictive,” “mean,” and “extortion,” though he clarified his beef lies with the top suits behind Disney and notForce AwakensdirectorJ.J. Abrams.
The Hateful Eightisn’t the only film opening this month that’s suffering fromStar Warsfever. Earlier this year, it was announced thatStar Warshad dibs on all IMAX screenings for four weeksbeginning with its opening on December 18th. That meant that films hoping to capitalize on the big-screen format, likeThe RevenantandIn the Heart of the Sea, would get knocked out of those spaces during this period. This also means that films opening in the early days of January are affected. Needless to say, anticipation forStar Warsis unbearably high. Perhaps, while all of us are foaming at the mouth to see it, we’ll be too distracted to realize the true implications.
