Grado de dificultad: 3 (Porque es en inglés y que es simplemente difícil de entender)

Columnista: Roberto

TMN already published a few articles on Netflix content, under our “Media” category, the last one about “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”.

Now, there is this new about Netflix: they will release three movies in theaters before they start to stream them online. One article among many:

https://theweek.com/speedreads/805095/netflix-release-3-movies-theaters-before-streaming

The three movies are:

  • Roma, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, that will be released in theaters 2 weeks before streaming on the plateform.
  • The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, by the Coen Brothers, released 1 week earlier
  • Bird Box, by Susanne Bier, released 1 week earlier.

The official reason is that “Netflix wants to be eligible for The Oscar Awards.

Really? Netflix already scrapped its participation in the “Festival de Cannes” for the same reason, and no one among the users of the platform seemed to care. Worse, the European festival was not exactly a wide success and people began to talk about how counterproductive it was.

This is so transparent. Look at the timing: only 2 weeks in 1 case, then only 1 week for both others. It doesn’t seem like a victory to me, more like a surrendering.

I almost visualize Hollywood aristocracy negotiating: “Come one, give us something, 2 week earlier and we’ll be OK, or even one week, please”. And Netflix executives saying “We consent to it”.

The real situation is that they are fading away. A growing number of projects and actors now prefer to get involved in streaming platform content, movies and series alike.

The project are better, the visibility of the actors is higher and everyone hear these millions of little voices saying:

  • “Why should I pay 15 bucks to see a movie I already paid in my $8 monthly subscription?”
  • “Why should I watch a blurry screen and the shape of people arriving late and crossing the rows?”
  • “Why should I wait to get my (expensive) ticket, then wait to get (expensive) pop corn and watered soda, and finally wait for a uncomfortable seat?”
  • “I could just wait one or two weeks to see it on my 4K smart TV”

One iconic (and privileged) director, Steven Spielberg also said that “the streaming company’s films shouldn’t be eligible for Oscars”. Well, good for him, however this is putting the bar very high and his former project were not exactly brilliant nor successful (Ready Player One is not bad, though).

See for example this pretty lucid article by David Sims in The Atlantic:

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/03/steven-spielbergs-netflix-fears/556550/ )

This is part of a broader tendency: today, it’s Netflix, tomorrow it will be HBO, Amazon, then Google through YouTube… No, you are right: it´s not tomorrow, it’s already today.

And no, it is not the end of an Art form, simply a migration.