Woody Allen unsure about Hollywood's romance charm

Woody Allen feels that "all the romance of filmmaking is gone," so he's not precisely sure what he wants to do in the film business going forward.

The director was questioned about his most recent film, Coup de Chance, his 50th feature, and the difficulties it had in getting released in North American theatres in an interview with AirMail that was posted online on Saturday.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether I get distributed here or not,” Allen said. 

“Once I make it, I don’t follow it anymore. Distribution is no longer what it was. Now distribution is two weeks in a cinema… And then that’s it. I mean, Annie Hall played in movie houses in New York for a little bit over a year. It’d be in one theater for six, seven months, and then somebody would pick it up and it would hang around another few months. The whole business has changed, and not in an appealing way. All the romance of filmmaking is gone.”

Before the streaming era, Allen expressed in 2022 that "a lot of the thrill is gone" for him as a filmmaker, reflecting on his future in the business. He also admitted that he was still "on the fence about it" in his most recent interview.

“I don’t want to have to go out to raise money. I find that a pain in the neck,” the Rainy Day in New York director said. 

“But if someone shows up and calls in and says we want to back the film, then I would seriously consider it. I would probably not have the willpower to say no because I have so many ideas.”

In recent years, Woody Allen's reputation in the United States has significantly declined due to the #MeToo movement and the emergence of sexual abuse accusations from his adopted stepdaughter, Dylan Farrow.

Following an inquiry in 1993, the Connecticut state's attorney declined to file charges against Allen, who has denied the allegations.