“It is a bummer, of course it’s a bummer”: George Clooney Couldn’t Erase His One Regret With New Film ‘Wolfs’ Despite His and Brad Pitt’s Sacrifice for the Film

Ever since the era of Ocean’s Eleven, the pairing of George Clooney and Brad Pitt has been a royally charged one. The Steven Soderbergh film not only pulled Clooney out of the pit that Batman & Robin threw him in but also elevated him to a movie star status. With Wolfs, the boys are officially back at it again and the fans couldn’t be happier. That is, until the report about their obnoxious salaries for the Apple-sponsored film.

Not only has the news caused a fracture among the well-meaning public but also threw the fans for a loop. After all, a $35 million paycheck is an insulting number, no matter which way one looks at it. However, it did not take long for Clooney to voice his opinion on the issue. It now seems that there is more to the story than meets the eye.

George Clooney Clarifies the Report About His Wolfs Salary

On August 25, 2024, The New York Times published a damning report claiming that Wolfs co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt were each paid $35 million for their respective roles in the film. While the going rate for A-list actors is a high one, the public hardly expected a film headed for the streamers to pay such a high price at the cost of its own commercial outcome.

As can be expected, the report generated a high volume of clamoring among the social media masses, with fans calling out the actors and the streamer for their outrageous spending when so much of it could have gone toward promoting the film for a wider and longer theatrical run.

However, George Clooney recently spoke at the press conference for the Venice Out of Competition title, clarifying a few doubts about the one-week theatrical release model and his salary for the film.

We would’ve liked [a wider release]; we wanted it, that’s why Brad and I gave some of our salary back to do that. Whatever [the reporter’s] source was for our salary, its millions and millions and millions of dollars less than what was reported.

I only say that because I think it’s bad for our industry if people think that is the standard-bearer for salaries. It will make it impossible to make films.

While Clooney’s sentiments helped to alleviate some of the ongoing concerns, it certainly did not help Apple’s case for going back on their word regarding Wolfs‘ theatrical run after initially promising to grant the film a wider theatrical release. Instead of letting the film prosper through press and promotion, Wolfs‘ fate has been sealed as it is now headed to Apple TV+ only a week after its premiere.

George Clooney Voices His Support for Theatrical Distribution

When Tom Cruise made it his mission to support the dwindling theatrical distribution system at the tail-end of the pandemic, the masses were impressed by the actor’s commitment to the cause. The wave of support was, in fact, so strong and so timely that Top Gun: Maverick became the poster child for the theatrical cause.

A year later, the Barbenheimer phenomenon added to that momentum. However, with films like Bottoms, The Killer, and The Holdovers getting pushed out of their theater lineup in order to accommodate a faster transition to streaming platforms has failed to contribute to the cause that Cruise has been so selflessly fighting for.

With Wolfs having all the markers of a proper blockbuster film, it is a shame that the project has been doomed to the confines of laptop and TV screens instead of enjoying its rightful place among AMCs and Cineplexes. It seems that George Clooney holds a somewhat similar opinion as well.

Yes, we wanted it to be released [in cinemas], we’ve had some bumps along the way… There are elements of this we are figuring out. You guys are all in this too and we’re trying to find our way post-Covid. There’s some bumps along the way. It is a bummer, of course it’s a bummer.

On the other hand a lot of people are going to see the film; but we are getting a release in a few hundred theaters. So we’re getting a release; but it would’ve been nicer to have a wider release.

Meanwhile, Brad Pitt has been ambiguous about the theaters vs. streaming debate, citing benefits of the streaming era as compared to the “romanticism” of the theatrical experience. Although the actor is right to point out the changing times and our need to adapt and evolve along with it, some elements of the artistic world are simply not worth the sacrifice.

Wolfs releases in select theaters on September 20 before launching on Apple TV+ on September 27, 2024.