Quentin Tarantino stands as one of the most beloved directors in modern cinema. Often lauded for sticking to his intentions and designs, he is a director who appreciates and respects the history of film. It is because of his passion as a cinephile that a Universal pitch meeting over The Hateful Eight turned sour.
The Wall Street Journal reports that an idea over the distribution of Tarantino's The Hateful Eight caused the director to storm out of a meeting with Universal executives. Jeff Shell, the then head of Universal studio, pitched the idea to release The Hateful Eight on mobile devices with "iPhones" specifically mentioned. Tarantino responded with a "Great" only to then storm out of the meeting.
Shell's idea likely came from a place of concern with regards to The Hateful Eight on what was then expected to be a pricey production. Tarantino wanted to shoot the film in 70mm only to then refit it to contemporary theater screens. Despite the early worries, the overall budget of the production came to an estimated $62 million according to Variety. This made The Hateful Eight's overall budget half of Tarantino's previous film Django Unchained.
The Hateful Eight was eventually distributed by the Weinstein Company and went on to earn over double its reported budget. The Hateful Eight is a divisive entry in Tarantino's filmography with The Thing inspired western being a source of debate. This type of debate isn't usually the kind Tarantino films generate with most discussions focusing on the narratives and fates of characters. It wasn't long ago that Tarantino answered a lingering question of what happened to a famous Pulp Fiction character.
While times under COVID-19 have shaped the film industry like never before, some cinephiles still take the silver screen's place in modern cinema seriously.
The Hateful Eight is available now on streaming services and physical media.
Source: The Wall Street Journal via IndieWire