Leonardo DiCaprio Expresses Concern Over Declining “Passion” for Theatrical Cinema
According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, Leonardo DiCaprio expressed his deep concerns regarding the future of movie theaters in a new interview with The Times of London. The Titanic star, who is an Oscar contender this year for his role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, stated that cinemas must not become “like jazz bars” in the future. The Academy Award-winning actor hopes that regardless of future trends, filmmakers will continue to showcase their work on the big screen.
DiCaprio questioned whether audiences still possess the “passion” for watching films in theaters: “It’s changing with lightning speed. We are witnessing a massive transition phase. First, documentaries disappeared from theaters. Now, dramas get limited releases while people wait to watch them on streaming platforms. I don’t know.”
The actor, who missed the Palm Springs International Film Festival awards ceremony on Saturday night following the U.S. military action in Venezuela, sent a recorded message advocating for the theatrical experience: “Movies still need to be experienced in a theater, together. Today, this belief is more important than ever. Creating and protecting original films has become harder, but cinema still matters. Not ‘content’—but cinema. The stories being told should be shown in a dark room as a collective experience.”
DiCaprio previously told Time magazine that artificial intelligence cannot replace real actors.
