Leonardo DiCaprio has voiced concerns about the future of cinema as streaming services continue to transform the way films are released and consumed. The 51-year-old actor, currently tipped for Oscar success for his lead role in One Battle After Another, lamented that theatrical runs are being cut short to accommodate the digital age.
“It’s changing at a lightning speed,” he told The Times of London. “We’re looking at a huge transition. First, documentaries disappeared from cinemas. Now, dramas only get finite time and people wait to see it on streamers. I don’t know.” DiCaprio questioned whether audiences still have the appetite for movie theatres, or whether cinemas will become niche venues, “like jazz bars”.
“I just hope enough people who are real visionaries get opportunities to do unique things in the future that are seen in the cinema,” he added. “But that remains to be seen.” His remarks echo those of his longtime collaborator Martin Scorsese, who in a 2021 essay for Harper’s Magazine accused streaming services of reducing films to mere “content”. The 83-year-old director wrote that “the art of cinema is being systematically devalued, sidelined, demeaned, and reduced to its lowest common denominator”.
DiCaprio currently stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s critically acclaimed dark comedy One Battle After Another, playing washed-up revolutionary Bob Ferguson, who is forced out of hiding when an old nemesis resurfaces and his daughter goes missing. The actor has already received a Golden Globe nomination for best male actor in a musical or comedy, while the film leads the field with nine nominations in total. Also starring Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Sean Penn and newcomer Chase Infiniti, the film is expected to receive numerous Oscar nods later this month, including for Best Picture.
Writing for The Independent, critic Clarisse Loughrey gave the film a five-star review, describing it as “a ferocious American masterpiece”. She added: “Anderson has directed a swaggering, funny and timely action epic, where momentum never lets up and supporting actors Sean Penn and Teyana Taylor steal the show.”
