A new film push for Netflix
“Beasts of No Nation” isn’t expected to light up the box office this weekend. The movie, about an African child soldier, will have a limited release in a few dozen theaters nationwide.
But the well-reviewed film is generating considerable interest in Hollywood for another reason: It marks Netflix’s foray into feature filmmaking and distribution.
The Los Gatos, Calif.based company, with 70 million worldwide subscribers, has changed the way people consume TV. Now, it wants to upend the model for releasing movies.
The Cary Fukunaga indie war drama, based on a novel by Uzodinma Iweala, tells the story of a 14-year-old boy recruited to fight a civil war under a guerrilla warlord (Idris Elba). Produced by Participant Media and Red Crown, the film debuted on the streaming service Friday on the same day it opened in 31 Landmark Theatres across 27 markets, including L.A. and New York.
That’s a departure from Hollywood convention. Typically, movies play for several months in theaters before the studios make them available for home viewing.
Netflix has been increasing its original content to attract monthly subscribers to its streaming service. The tactic plays to the audience’s desire for immediate gratification in an on-demand world.
Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos has been an outspoken advocate of what the industry calls day-and-date releases, much to the chagrin of theater owners. They view his strategy as misguided.
The country’s four largest theater chains — Regal, AMC, Cinemark and Carmike — refused to show the movie because it undermines the typical 90-day delay between a theatrical debut and a home-entertainment release that is core to their business.
Top theater chains have staunchly resisted past efforts to shorten the theatrical window, including a recent attempt by Paramount Pictures to make two films available via digital home video 17 days after they exit theaters.
“Theaters don’t see the value in competing with a cheaper home-video product.... It’s less incentive to see the movie in theaters,” said Patrick Corcoran, spokesman for the National Assn. of Theatre Owners.
Netf lix seems undeterred by the criticism.
“There is a lot of talk about windows surrounding ‘Beasts of No Nation’ and Netflix, but the truth is, the only window that matters is the window on the world that great cinema can provide, the window into the human condition and life on earth,” Sarandos said Friday in a statement to The Times.
Netflix has other feature films in the pipeline, including the Adam Sandler comedy “The Ridiculous Six,” the sequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the Brad Pitt satire “War Machine.”
The industry will closely watch how “Beasts of No Nation” performs in theaters to gauge the success of the experiment. Netflix has a longstanding practice of not releasing viewership data for its content so box-office results will provide a glimpse into its popularity.
Analysts were unsure about the effect of Netflix’s strategy.
“The Hollywood movie model is not going to change because of Netflix,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. “When you look at the money at stake in Hollywood — when you add up the different revenue streams (theatrical release, DVDs, etc.) — you think these guys are going to let Netflix screw up their model?”