'The Suicide Squad' director James Gunn believes movies are timeless because they're watched on TV, not in theaters

• Gunn doesn't care much if people see his new movie, "The Suicide Squad," in theaters or on HBO Max.
• "I've never seen 'Jaws' in a movie theater," he told Variety. "It's one of my favorite movies."
• HBO Max said his film is the streamer's second-most viewed original movie during its opening weekend.
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James Gunn recently admitted he doesn't really care that his latest movie, "The Suicide Squad," opened on HBO Max the same day it did in theaters. He believes great movies of the past are classics because they are shown on TV.

"I think it's gonna work just fine on television," Gunn told Variety, noting that his twisted DC Comics tale about a group of supervillains tasked with saving the world was made to be seen on the big screen.

"Listen, movies don't last because they're seen on the big screen," he continued. "Movies last because they're seen on television. 'Jaws' isn't still a classic because people are watching it in theaters. I've never seen 'Jaws' in a movie theater. It's one of my favorite movies."

Gunn, who is known best for directing Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies, will be working next on the small screen with HBO Max's "The Peacemaker" series, which focuses on John Cena's character of the same name from "The Suicide Squad."

"In fact, in some ways, I'm more comfortable in television, because I get more time to focus on the characters, and I don't feel so pressured to move to the next scene and the next scene and the next scene," Gunn said.

Gunn in no way wants to see movie theaters go extinct, but at the same time he said he's not losing much sleep on how people are watching his work.

"We've still got COVID because people won't get vaccinated, which, you know, they should. Hopefully - hopefully - that will not be a big deal to us in a year. And if that's the case, what's going to happen? We don't know," he said. "Nobody knows. I care because I would rather have people be able to go to the movies. But also, if they don't, I'm not going to go slit my wrists. I don't care that much."

"The Suicide Squad," starring Margot Robbie, took in an estimated $26.5 million it's opening weekend, which is under the industry projection of $30 million.

However, HBO Max chief Andy Forssell said Sunday that the movie became the second-most viewed film over an opening weekend on the streamer since it began showing movies in theaters and the streamer simultaneously.

HBO Max did not disclose how many people watched "The Suicide Squad" on its service.