James Cameron Isn’t Afraid Of Streaming But Is Worried About TV’s Forumla Infecting Cinema

What’s going to happen with the future of the film industry? It’s a question that has a million different potential answers. Ultimately, it boils down to whether or not cinema as we know it can survive in a world where people have access to thousands of hours of content over various streaming services at the tip of their fingers? Right now, the answer is unclear. But Denis Villeneuve and James Cameron are optimistic that streaming and the theatrical experience can both thrive…as long as they stay distinct.

Speaking to each other as part of Variety’s Directors on Directors series, James Cameron and Denis Villeneuve talked about the future of the film industry, and specifically, how streaming fits into the whole situation. Villeneuve, of course, famously has been opposed to films debuting on streaming instead of in theaters, as he experienced that hardship firsthand with “Dune” earlier this year. But even still, the filmmaker thinks the theatrical experience will be just fine in the long run.

READ MORE: James Cameron Raves About ‘Dune’ & Says It’s “Truly Epic” In Ways That Marvel Films Aren’t

“I’m very optimistic. I think that the theatrical experience will prevail,” said Villeneuve. “I think that we need this kind of massive, immersive, physical [experience] — the sound, with Atmos system or IMAX, it becomes physical. It’s something that cannot be reproduced at home. There’s nothing more powerful than to share an emotion together in a theater. I think that as humans we need that kind of connection. I think we are not meant to be isolated. So I’m optimistic. I hope that the language of cinema will not become too much like TV.”

It’s that last comment, about cinema becoming TV, which worries both filmmakers. 

“If you know your character’s always going to survive so that they can make another movie, then there’s no real jeopardy,” added Cameron. “There’s no anxiety on the part of the audience that someone that they’ve fallen in love with is going to die. You know?”

And when you talk about the theatrical experience, it’s hard not to think about James Cameron films. He’s a filmmaker who makes every film into an event that has to be seen on the biggest possible screen with the best possible sound. But even still, Cameron seems less worried about streaming and the future of cinema than Villeneuve.

READ MORE: James Cameron Concerned About ‘Avatar’ Sequels In Current Box Office Climate: “Are We Going To Make Any Damn Money?”

“I’m not afraid. I like change,” Cameron explained. “I’m a child of the ’60s. I like it when things are chaotic. I think what we can see is an expanded form of cinema. I want to do a movie that’s six hours long and two and a half hours long at the same time. Same movie. You can stream it for six hours, or you can go and have a more condensed, roller coaster, immersive version of that experience in a movie theater. Same movie. Just, one’s the novel, and one’s the movie. Why not? Let’s just use these platforms in ways that haven’t been done before.”

Cameron clearly has no problem creating massive franchises, as he is not only working on one “Avatar” sequel, which is arriving in 2022, but he’s also working on three more after that. Essentially, in TV terms, Cameron is making the most expensive limited series in the history of filmmaking. 

Obviously, we’re not going to know how the future of film adapts to the world of streaming. But if the pandemic has taught us anything about distribution, it’s that things can change very quickly.