Netflix mixes it up
Netflix Inc will debut three of its upcoming original films in a limited number of theatres before the movies appear on the streaming service, the company said on Wednesday. The move for Roma, Bird Box and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a change from the company’s traditional practice of releasing movies in theatres and on Netflix on the same day.
Netflix had been insisting that any movies it sent to theatres be available to its streaming membership on the same day. Most large theatre chains remain opposed to Netflix films, and some prominent directors have objected to the idea that their movies would be seen mostly on the small screen.
Now, Netflix’s strategy is evolving. “Netflix’s priority is our members and our filmmakers, and we are constantly innovating to serve them,” Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film group, said in a statement.
Bird Box, a thriller starring Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson, will begin playing in some US theatres on December 13 before hitting Netflix on December 21.