“You make a movie with, say, Netflix, you don’t have to have an opening weekend. You don’t have those particular pressures,” Oldman said about Netflix. “They log how many people are watching — I think it’s if you’ve clicked on and watched for two minutes, then it counts as a view. So I enjoy the streaming services like everyone else.”

Oldman continued, “But I was recently in London and ‘Mank’ was playing a three-minute walk from my hotel, and I thought, ‘I’ve never seen this on the big screen. I’ll go find out what the other customer thought of it.’ I went and there were about 11 people in the audience, but there was something to be said for being in this big space in a dark room watching this thing 40 feet across. It played faster. I think the gags worked better. And certainly, the guy behind me was having a good time. So there’s advantages and disadvantages.” Related ‘1899’ Canceled by Netflix After One Season ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ Sneak Peek: Adjoa Andoh’s Lady Danbury Origin Story Is Revealed Related The Best True Crime Streaming Now, from ‘Unsolved Mysteries’ to ‘McMillions’ to ‘The Staircase’ Oscars 2023: Best Sound Predictions
While “Mank” might’ve played better in a movie theater, most viewers only had the option to stream it given the pandemic. Regardless, no major Hollywood studio was likely to take a chance on a black-and-white movie made in the style of 1930s features and give it a nationwide theatrical release (even in pre-pandemic times). Ben Affleck participated in THR’s Actors Roundtable with Oldman and said as much. “Gary, your movie is magnificent — it’s a masterpiece and my favorite of David’s movies,” Affleck said. “I mean, I also happen to identify with being an aging alcoholic screenwriter, so maybe I’m biased, but it’s incredible — and I don’t know that somebody right now in the studio-theatrical world would do it. You’d have a giant amount of pressure to have that movie do a bunch of money in the first weekend. So the fact that it got made is probably because a streaming service made it. I’m just glad it happened.” “Mank” is streaming on Netflix. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.