Reports are coming through that Amazon is looking to sever ties with Woody Allen, ending their five-movie deal early. The first film Allen did for Amazon, Wonder Wheel , was shot on a $25 million dollar budget with a cast that included Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, Jim Belushi, Juno Temple, and Robert C. Kirk. It didn’t perform well with critics receiving a 30 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes , and only bringing in a hair over $15 million at the box office. On Demand sales were not released, but Amazon has hinted that they never approached amounting to enough for the film to break even.
His second film with Amazon, A Rainy Day In New York , is reported to have even more problems than his first, per Page Six , and is the reason why Amazon wants out of the Woody Allen business. According to rumors that have been circulated by several movie magazines and sites, the film is a bit weaker than Wonder Wheel was, and the cast isn’t quite as strong. While Amazon has not cited either of those factors as a reason to go their separate ways with the octogenarian director, they did release a statement, as reported by the Telegraph , that they have no plans for a theatrical release of the film now or possibly ever, further claiming no release date for the film has ever been set.
Is #WoodyAllen ‘s film career over? It looks like it could be time up for the Oscar winner after Amazon Studio has now made the shock decision to indefinitely postpone the release of his new movie… https://t.co/UN081GBuub
— Hot Press (@hotpress) August 31, 2018
The cast of A Rainy Day In New York features some heavyweight names in Hollywood including Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, and Elle Fanning. One of the reasons that Amazon is thought to be shelving the movie and looking to part ways with Allen, is that the cast wants nothing to do with him, and they don’t want to promote the film. They want to distance themselves from Allen and the movie so much that some are saying they are donating their salaries from the film to charity.
#WoodyAllen ‘s new movie, #ARainyDayInNewYork reportedly shelved by #Amazon and has no release plans. If so, 2018 will be the first year without an Allen film since 1982 https://t.co/XdNnmGo3qq pic.twitter.com/7i5ZWCw7JK
— George Roussos (@baphometx) August 31, 2018
With the #MeToo and Time’s Up anti-sexual harassment campaigns still very much focal issues, being associated to someone that is a target of those movements, as Allen is, is seen as toxic not only for careers, but social standing. While not everyone in the cast is willing to speak up, those who are have made bold statements, as Chalamet led the way.
“I don’t want to profit from my work on the film, and to that end, I am going to donate my entire salary to three charities: Time’s Up, the LGBT Centre in New York, and Rainn [the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network].”
#WoodyAllen Reportedly Taking A Break From Filmmaking For The First Time In Decades Ugh. What have those people done? https://t.co/Uq77CIN6U9 di @ThePlaylist
— George Addison (@GeorgeAddison87) August 28, 2018
Griffin Newman said he considers himself a “coward” for not quitting the project and has stated he will donate his earnings on the film to Rainn. Rebecca Hall is donating her proceeds to Time’s Up, and stated on the record that she “regrets” ever working on the film, per The Guardian, and is “profoundly sorry” she accepted the role according to Indiewire. Allen has said very little about the film or his relationship with Amazon and is reportedly taking a break.