Good or bad, I was always going to see Alex Garland’s #Annihilation anyway. However, in light of recent news, I urge all of you who already planned on going, to bring AT LEAST one person with you to the theater & prove to these studio executives that they don’t know everything.— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) January 31, 2018
Studios just want to know what Joe Average will think of a picture. It's the bottom line. They want to sell tickets. That could make or break a film. In the case of Alex Garland‘s “Annihilation,” it sent two producers into battle.
Paramount and Netflix are in charge of the international rights to “Annihilation,” the deal has Garland’s film opening 17 days after the theatrical release. You want to see it theatrically? U.S., Canada and China will get a theatrical release. This would look like a deal to make any losses on the part of Paramount, which has quite clearly had a horrifying response to the finished product.
THR had reported that the film was testing very poorly and that the complaints Paramount layed forth to Garland were that "Annihilation" was “too intellectual” and “too complicated” for audiences. "As a result, he wanted Garland to make changes to the ending of the movie, and craft a more sympathetic portrayal of Portman’s character." Enter the film’s co-producer Scott Rudin (“No Country For Old Men,” “The Social Network,” “Lady Bird“), a maverick, he basically refused Paramount's orders. Rudin has final cut according to the contract and the fact that Garland's intended vision is being released, has made Paramount very nervous, so much so that they went to Netflix who will be in charge of half the film's 55 million budget.
“Intellectual” is a phrase that should be mentioned when it comes to Garland (“Ex Machina,” “Sunshine,” “Never Let Me Go“). Paramount knew that.
I've heard whispers here and there of Garland's movie being as accesible as "2001: A Space Oddysey," which means, yes, it won't be as accessiblre to the Marvel/DC mainstream crowd, but there is a whole market out there for thoughtful sci-fi. The excitement of watching Garland's vision onscreen has me anticipating this new opus.
“Annihilation” opens on Febraury 23, 2018.