It's been 30 years The Shawshank Redemption The film debuted, but remains as beloved as ever, and its star Tim Robbins credits one man for its survival – Ted Turner.
In an interview with The Guardian In one paper, Robbins takes issue with the algorithms that dictate our viewing habits and cites his 1994 film about the fates of prison inmates as one that could not have worked in this day and age.
Robbins said:
“We're 30 now [on from] The Shawshank Redemption. When it was released, it got good reviews and was nominated for Oscars, but no one saw it. It was VHS and [Ted] Turner plays it on his TV channel [Turner Classic Movies] This is different. This is a beloved movie. It remains at the top of IMDb as the most favorite film of all time. So I know that a good movie, or a good TV show, will continue. Whether it was a hit or not is irrelevant compared to what people will think about it in 10, 15, or 20 years.
The Shawshank Redemption It was produced on a budget of $25 million and went on to gross $73 million at the worldwide box office. Nominated for seven Oscars,
Robbins compared this to the wealth of films newly available on streaming platforms:
“You go on Netflix now and see what movies are coming out and you tell me this is the future of cinema? We're in big trouble.”
Robbins, which appears on Apple TV+ siloalso used the interview to call for better working conditions for the crew on set. He said:
“Actors have it easy, they don't work every day. When they're done working, they go and have some time off, do something different. It's really the crews you're talking about. What ends up happening is you have people in these crews who are exhausted and exhausted and they don't have The emotional input one needs to live a well-rounded life.
