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On Wednesday, Netflix made one of its biggest concessions to traditional Hollywood in announcing that three of his upcoming films will be released in theaters one to three weeks before their release on Netflix. Historically, Netflix has always insisted on the release of some Oscar-winning films in a handful of theaters the same day they are available for streaming.
But by letting go Alfonso Cuarón Roma, the Coen brothers The ballad of Buster Scruggs, and Bird box, a thriller starring Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson in theaters before their debut in streaming, Netflix hopes to earn points with the Hollywood community, and especially with the Academy's voters, as she desperately tries to win a Oscar.
The efforts of Netflix at the Oscars so far have not lived up to its success at the Emmys. Two years ago, Cary Fukunaga's film No nation's beasts was completely excluded from the Oscar race. And last year, his great hope, Dee Rees's Muddy, has received nominations for the adapted screenplay, the support actress, and some technical awards, but has been snubbed into the main categories as the best film and the best director.
This year, Netflix hopes to change that. Expectations are particularly high for Roma, which was first presented to enthusiastic critics at the Venice Film Festival in late August. But almost as soon as this black and white tribute in Spanish to Cuarón's childhood nanny was screened, a debate broke out about whether he would or would not benefit from an outing theatrical exclusive. Cuarón, like many filmmakers with whom Netflix tries to do business, wanted the film to have a traditional big-screen release. But this desire was at odds with Netflix's streaming model, an issue on which content manager Ted Sarandos had expressed himself passionately.
Just two weeks ago, Sarandos said in a Netflix call for results: "We believe in our member-centric simulcast model for our original films." Last April he said, "Defining the distribution in function of the piece you see [a movie] This is not the business in which we want to be. And during the last season of the Oscars, Netflix executives were adamant that they would never deviate from the daily exit strategy, according to someone who worked on a Netflix-winning film.
But internally, Netflix has relied on more traditional Hollywood actors, such as Scott Stuber, a former Universal executive who now oversees the company's film division. A producer says this well before Roma conversation, Stuber would tell filmmakers at meetings that he "was trying to get you a [theatrical] Netflix also hired Dan Fellman, former head of the national distribution of Warner Bros., a sign that the company was interested in trading with exhibitors. In addition, Lisa Taback, a respected Oscar campaign publicist, is now on the Netflix payroll.
In a statement, Stuber said, "Netflix's priority is our members and our filmmakers, and we are constantly innovating to serve them. Our members enjoy the best quality movies from world-class filmmakers. They can also share their artistic talents with as many spectators as possible in over 190 countries around the world. "
Roma is expected to be released on November 21 in cinemas in New York, Los Angeles and Mexico, three weeks before its release on December 7. (Scruggs Buster and Bird box will receive a one-week theatrical release.) More limited engagements will follow on 29 November in a few markets, including London. Ultimately, it will be screened in 20 countries.
But many questions remain. Three weeks can be a major concession for a technology company that prides itself on its "North Star" exclusively in streaming, is it enough for Oscar voters? Most major theaters insist on a 90 day window before a movie goes on another platform, which is the accepted norm in Hollywood. There is a big difference between 90 and 21 days.
Secondly, Roma This release creates a new precedent for which films are screened and for how long? Why are the Coen brothers only getting a week? An insider notes: "It's a Pandora's box for them."
Netflix did not disclose whether it would publish gross box office receipts, in line with its non-disclosure data mantra. This prompted an Oscar guru to call the news "a false news. It's like: "Let's do it to show" that we're in the game, but no ticketing, or use real theaters, but place them on four walls to avoid any paper trail. It's just a sham. "(Four walls rent theaters one by one, it's almost like writing yourself, you pay for the theater and keep all ticket sales.)
And then there is marketing. Netflix has not usually spent much money on traditional marketing, believing that the best way to promote a Netflix TV show or movie is simply to promote it on Netflix. This is changing, and Netflix is now committed to significantly increasing its traditional marketing spend. But until now, he has not shown the same marketing aggression as his competitors. A studio director said, "Does placing films in cinemas mean that money is spent? Or are they simply calming a filmmaker by saying: [for the Oscars]"It will be in the theaters!"? "
In the end, the success of Roma, both as a film and as an Oscar nominee, will depend on the audience. As the studio director says, "The most important thing that matters is that the film is good. If it's special, then a week [in theaters] will be enough because we will talk about it. "
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