I think we can all agree that when it comes to original TV series, Netflix deserves a lot of praise. But aside from Beasts of No Nation, Okja, and Netflix documentaries, their original film output leaves much to be desired.
Still, are Christopher Nolan’s words a bit harsh?
The director is currently promoting his latest, Dunkirk, which many are praising as his best movie yet.
He was recently interviewed by Indiewire and asked if he would ever consider working with the streaming service. His answer was a flat out “no.” He explained: “Well, why would you? If you make a theatrical film, it’s to be played in theatres.”
Nolan continued: “Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films.
“They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released, which is obviously an untenable model for theatrical presentation. So they’re not even getting in the game, and I think they’re missing a huge opportunity.”
He likened a film being released on Netflix to being released straight to home video in the 90s, which was at the time, according to Nolan, a filmmaker’s “worst nightmare.”
“I think the investment that Netflix is putting into interesting filmmakers and interesting projects would be more admirable if it weren’t being used as some kind of bizarre leverage against shutting down theatres,” he said. “It’s so pointless. I don’t really get it.”
He had much more appreciation of Amazon’s approach, saying they: “The theatres have a 90-day window. It’s a perfectly usable model. It’s terrific.”
In summary: “If Netflix has made a great film, they should put it in theatres. Why not? Stream it 90 days later.”
Do you agree? Let us know what you think in the comments.
