Author: Brooks Barnes / Source: New York Times
LOS ANGELES — Netflix softened its longstanding view on movie distribution, saying late Wednesday that it would release three prestige movies in a way that it had repeatedly said was a nonstarter — in cinemas first, and on the streaming service later.
A limited number of theaters in the United States and overseas will receive an exclusive period of one to three weeks to play the films, which include Alfonso Cuarón’s “,” a black-and-white drama hailed as a masterpiece by critics who have seen it at festivals. After that, Netflix will make the films available for streaming.
Netflix expects theaters to continue playing the films even after it flips them to streaming, with the number of locations dependent on ticket sales, reviews and whether Academy Awards attention materializes as Netflix hopes. The other films are “,” a six-part frontier anthology written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, and “,” a thriller starring Sandra Bullock and Sarah Paulson.
Most theater chains, including AMC and Regal, insist on a 90-day period of exclusivity. They worry that moviegoers will be reluctant to buy tickets if they know they can catch the same film just a few weeks (or days) later in their living rooms, and for less money.
Single tickets cost $15 or…The post In Oscar Bid, Netflix Will Release 3 Movies in Theaters First appeared first on FeedBox.