For a brief moment, it felt like the cold war between Netflix and movie theaters was entering a peaceful, collaborative phase.
But after they were unable to buy Warner Bros., we immediately saw Netflix double down on what feels like a poor business decision to keep movies out of theaters, especially after many of their own titles have gone on to make a lot of money in those venues.
In a recent profile with The New York Times, Netflix’s film chief, Dan Lin, put a blunt and definitive end to the theatrical debate. When asked about directors holding out hope for traditional cinematic rollouts, Lin put it pretty directly:
“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we've accepted we just won't work with.”
That felt like a statement of finality. Even if it really seems shortsighted for a company intending to make movies, a lot of people want to see.
Let's dive in.
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The Illusion of a Strategy Shift
What makes Lin’s comments such a gut punch is just how much recent evidence pointed in the opposite direction for Netflix.
Earlier this year, Netflix went hard in its attempt to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and during that process, co-CEO Ted Sarandos went as far as promising an industry-standard 45-day theatrical window to appease regulatory skeptics and talent.
We even saw them put KPop Demon Hunters in theaters to resounding success, as well as the series finale of Stranger Things.
We also got word that David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth (written by Quentin Tarantino) was taking a prime two-week exclusive global IMAX run starting November 25.
All of this felt like Netflix and theaters were friends again, and there would be a robust ecosystem around them.
Even with a delay of Greta Gerwig's massive adaptation of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew to February 2027, Netflix committed to a full, traditional 49-day wide theatrical release before the film hits the app.
Again, all this stuff signaled peace, so why are they pushing this now?
'KPop Demon Hunters' Credit: Netflix
The "A-List Exception" is Not a Policy
Lin clarified to the NYT that those massive, theater-first rollouts are strictly exceptions to the rule, reserved solely for the Finchers, Tarantinos, and Gerwigs of the world.
If you're on the A-list, you get a theatrical movie if you can negotiate one.
For everyone else? It’s streaming-only, straight out of the gate.
I understand Lin may be making fewer films and wants to focus on them being good. But it seems like a great way to get people interested is to put them in theaters first. Maybe not all of them, but you would think if they made some great ones, per his intention, you'd want to reap the fiscal benefits of ticket sales.
Also, there are so many great filmmakers doing stuff for the big screen; it feels foolish to decline to work with them.
And what about the next batch of talent?
What This Means for Rising Filmmakers
If you're trying to get your movie made and take it ot Netflix, chances are you will never see theaters unless you're already famous.
As we've noted when discussing how theatrical releases build lasting film franchises, the theatrical window creates an event status that a digital drop date simply cannot replicate.
It builds buzz, and it may even drive to the streamer.
Netflix declined to clarify if there are any hidden caveats to Lin’s statements, which has basically left the industry to take him exactly at his word.
The thing is, I don't believe him. I think if a massive script or filmmaker had a project they wanted, they'd bend. It would make no business sense not to. And as people become more famous, like a Curry Barker, they would want to court him; why would they leave those projects on the table?
Netflix is a publicly traded company; how would its shareholders react if it missed out on big movies from famous people because of stubbornness?
I really think the first time we hear a filmmaker chose a different studio because of these things, they're going to backtrack thanks to shareholder pressure.
Summing It All Up
What do you think? Is Netflix making the right business move by cutting out theatrical releases, or are they alienating the next generation of great filmmakers?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
