Amazon MGM’s decision regarding how to release the Road House remake has become controversial, and it looks even worse after another 2024 action movie’s success. Director Doug Liman and star Jake Gyllenhaal are behind the new reimagining of the 1989 action movie starring Patrick Swayze. The cult classic returning in this new fashion comes with plenty of excitement, especially after the Road House remake trailer looked quite promising and action-packed. That’s just what Amazon wants, since audiences will have the opportunity to first see the film when it releases exclusively on Prime Video in March 2024.
However, the decision to release Road House‘s remake on streaming instead of putting the movie in theaters was not the original plan. Amazon was expected to give audiences the chance to see Jake Gyllenhaal’s film in theaters first before later making it available on Prime Video. Moving Road House to streaming even resulted in Liman deciding to boycott the world premiere due to the studio going back on this plan. It was already a curious decision before the film’s director got upset, but Amazon’s choice looks like a bigger mistake as a different action movie continues to thrive.
Road House Remake Is Breaking A Tired Action Movie Trend (That Its Director Helped Start)
Road House’s director Doug Liman popularized a controversial action movie trend in 2002, but his new film is moving away from the technique.
The Beekeeper’s Box Office Proves Road House’s Streaming Release Is A Mistake
The pathway to Road House becoming a box office success can be seen in how The Beekeeper has done so far. Jason Statham’s original action movie earned positive reviews and has remained a strong performer at the box office, earning over $120 million worldwide to this point (via Box Office Mojo). It is not outside the realm of possibility that Road House could have matched The Beekeeper‘s box office performance. If so, it would surely manage to be a successful and profitable venture for Amazon MGM.
The problem is that this is now impossible. Road House releasing directly to Prime Video means that the 2024 remake will not play in theaters anywhere. This eliminates the possibility that Amazon MGM could make money from the film through a theatrical release. Road House will now only be judged based on how many views it gets on streaming. Meanwhile, The Beekeeper could still be a major streaming success after making over $120 million at the box office. Amazon’s mistake is leaving any additional money on the table in the hopes of drawing in a few more subscribers.
Road House’s Theatrical Success Would Have Benefited Amazon MGM
While Road House could be a decent success on streaming, there are far more benefits to Amazon MGM if the movie was a theatrical hit first. For starters, it would mean that Amazon would start 2024 with two action movie hits that both could be the basis for new franchises. That would help create an understanding from audiences that Amazon MGM is a major player in the action movie genre. It is possible that the studio would then gain a reputation as being one of the best in Hollywood at producing non-superhero or fantasy action movies.
Road House and The Beekeeper establishing Amazon as a significant power player for action movies would bode well for a studio that holds the rights to some massive franchises and IPs. Audiences having more faith in Amazon’s action movie track record could mean greater confidence in the next James Bond movie, a RoboCop reboot, and more. And now that Liman is angry about how the film’s release has been handled, Amazon has added an additional complication to possibly turning Road House into a franchise next.
