Both Alfonso Cuaron and Paul Greengrass are said to want more than a token run in theaters for their new films.
In October 2015, Beasts of No Nation, directed by Cary Fukunaga and
starring Idris Elba, perished in its box-office debut after most
theaters, including major circuits, boycotted the film because the title
premiered day-and-date on Netflix. Beasts played for two weeks in 31
cinemas, earning just $90,777 on its way to being snubbed by Academy
Award voters.
Nearly three years later, Netflix is looking to up its Oscar game after
edging out HBO for the most nominations at this year's Emmys. Insiders
tell The Hollywood Reporter that the streamer, which recently hired top
awards strategist Lisa Taback, is eyeing more
than just an
awards-qualifying release for upcoming films, including Alfonso Cuaron's
Roma and Paul Greengrass' 22 July.
Cuaron shot his black-and-white, Spanish-language film
— an ode to his
childhood in Mexico City — with a high-end digital camera best suited
for premium large-format or 70mm screens equipped with Dolby Atmos
sound. (Sources say that there is a theatrical Dolby Vision and Dolby
Atmos version in the works.)
Both Cuaron and Greengrass are said to want an expanded theatrical
presence beyond a token run. What Netflix offers them could be a
template for other A-list filmmakers.
After the Beasts debacle, Netflix struck partnerships with iPic and
Landmark Theatres, whereby
it essentially rented, or "four-walled,"
auditoriums to keep talent happy and qualify its movies for awards
consideration. Last year's Mudbound picked up four Oscar noms but walked
away empty-handed. All told, 33 Netflix films played in cinemas last
year in 40 cities globally — not all were awards players — yet Netflix
hasn't reported grosses since Beasts.
Netflix announced July 25 that Roma, from Participant, will be released
day-and-date on the streamer and in theaters, but it won't elaborate on
theatrical plans (earlier this year, the company briefly looked into
buying the Landmark chain). And unless the streamer backs off of its
day-and-date stance, booking the sort of premium screens that Cuaron
desires will be tough. The last movie the Mexican filmmaker directed,
Gravity (2013), earned Cuaron the Oscar for best director and was
considered groundbreaking for its 3D work.
A foreign-language, black-and-white film is hardly an easy box-office
sell, and Cuaron, like other filmmakers pursuing projects that may not
stir up keen interest among the major Hollywood film studios, landed at
Netflix. Ditto for Greengrass, whose upcoming film chronicles two
harrowing 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway. The film is
English-language, but has subtitles.
"Even though a director may want his film in a theater," says Wall
analyst Eric Handler, "that is the cost of doing business with Netflix."
Netflix insiders have give no indication that the streamer is ready to
give up day and date releases. Amazon Studios, conversely, has actively
wooed theaters owners by agreeing to hold off releasing its movies on
Amazon Prime.
“The theaters are big proponents of windowing," says Handler. "If they
allow Netflix to do day and date, that could open the floodgates for
others."
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