Netflix is Going Theatrical
Netflix has reportedly been considering a move from small screens to the big screen.
The online streaming giant has entertained the idea of buying movie theaters in major cities like New York and Los Angeles to screen its growing original programming. Netflix was reportedly in talks to acquire Mark Cuban’s Landmark Theaters chain, but the talks ended due to cost. A source at Variety magazine reported that Netflix isn’t interested in Landmark specifically, but acquiring a theater chain in general.
Netflix currently has over 125 million paying subscribers to its online streaming service. While that is way ahead of rivals such as Amazon, which recently announced that it has 100 million Prime users, Netflix’s original programming has struggled to earn the respect of major theater chains and the established film industry.
Recently, Netflix originals were shut out of Cannes Film Festival. The festival’s artistic director, Thierry Fremaux required that all films must be screened in french theaters to be eligible for the festival. When Netflix’s Okja and The Meyerowitz Stories were screened last year, they were booed by audiences. Last month Netflix was banned from competing at Cannes, which prompted Netflix to pull out of the festival entirely.
Directors and creators from Hollywood have been criticizing Netflix for a while now. Steven Spielberg recently said that Netflix original films should not be allowed to compete for Oscars, in light of Netflix’s documentary Icarus receiving an Academy Award. Spielberg claimed that these films are just TV movies that do not qualify for the big screen. Last year, Christopher Nolan also said that “Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films.”
It remains to be seen what Netflix does with these plans, but the company will certainly try to address the criticism it has been receiving from the film industry giants. It might not be Landmark theaters that they purchase, but they might have other plans.Only time will tell, as Netflix declined to comment on these reports.
