George Clooney is admitting that he would have preferred a wide theatrical release for Apple original film ”Wolfs.”
Clooney co-stars with Brad Pitt in the comic thriller that debuted at Venice 2024. While “Wolfs” was originally expected to get a wide theatrical release on September 20, Apple opted instead for a one-week long theater stint with an Apple TV+ release on September 27. A sequel was also already announced prior to the film’s debut, with writer/director/producer Jon Watts returning.
Clooney told The Hollywood Reporter that while he “obviously” wanted a wide theatrical release, he is glad “Wolfs” is in theaters even just for a week.
“We’re happy it’s getting released at all,” Clooney said. “Obviously we wish it was having a wider release and we’re trying to figure these things out as we go. This is a revolutionary time in our industry so it’s taken a moment to get through it, but we’ll get through it.”
Clooney’s co-star Richard Kind added, “I don’t know if Apple wants to hear me say this — I have a feeling this is a communal movie, and I’ve seen a few of those lately that just go straight to streaming and I’ve been lucky enough to see them with an audience. Movies are movies are movies, they should be seen on movie screens. These guys are larger than life — life is not a phone or an iPad or even a 60 or 70 or 80 inch TV. It should be dealt in feet.”
Clooney previously said during the “Wolfs” press conference at Venice that Hollywood “needs” streaming platforms.
“This is part of what we’re doing, but they also benefit from having films released,” Clooney said. “That’s why Brad [Pitt] and I were working so hard to try and get this released. And we’re figuring it out. We haven’t got it all figured out. This is a revolution in our industry, but we need Apple and Amazon, and they actually need distributors, right? They need to have [‘Wolfs’ studio] Sony or Warner Brothers who actually have been doing this for 100 years.”
He added of the limited theatrical release, “Of course it’s a bummer, but on the other hand, a lot of people are going to see the film, and we are getting a release in the few hundred theaters, so we’re getting a release. But yeah, it would have been nicer to have [more].”
Read IndieWire’s review of “Wolfs” here.
