Olivia Wilde accuses studios of bribing producers to push films to streaming
Director Olivia Wilde claims studios offer financial incentives to producers to send movies to streaming instead of theaters, calling it a bribe. She says the extra money goes to financiers, not filmmakers. Wilde made the remarks while promoting her film The Invite.
Wilde's remarks at the Locarno Film Festival highlighted a financial incentive structure where studios offer larger payouts to investors if a project bypasses cinemas. She clarified that these additional funds are directed toward financiers rather than the filmmakers themselves, framing the offer as a direct trade-off between monetary gain and the theatrical experience.
Her latest project, *The Invite*, features a starry ensemble cast and explores the tensions of a dinner party. Despite receiving critical praise upon its June release, the film only achieved a modest box office performance, yet Wilde credits her financiers for allowing her to prioritize a traditional cinema run over a potentially more lucrative streaming deal.
This dispute could reshape how audiences access new films, as the economic pressure to favor streaming may increasingly override creative preferences. If studios continue to offer such incentives, smaller theatrical releases might become rarer, potentially diminishing the communal viewing experience that directors like Wilde value. Conversely, this public pushback may encourage more financiers to support theatrical-first strategies, giving filmmakers greater leverage in distribution negotiations.