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This topic comprises 3 pages: 1 2 3
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Topic: Netflix Boss Suggest How To Save Movies
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Martin McCaffery
Film God
Posts: 2481
From: Montgomery, AL
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-26-2013 11:23 PM
http://variety.com/2013/digital/news/theater-owners-might-kill-movies-warns-netflixs-sarandos-1200765818/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breakingnewsalert
quote:
Content chief calls for big movies to bow on Netflix day and date with theaters
Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos launched a blistering attack on theater owners for stifling innovation, warning in a speech Saturday that they “might kill movies.”
What’s more, the exec called on the owners to allow big movies to open via Netflix day and date with their release in theaters, in his keynote at the Film Independent Forum in Los Angeles.
Addressing the ill-fated premium VOD model, Sarandos (pictured above, right) said theater owners were the problem.
“Theater owners stifle this kind of innovation at every turn,” he said. “The reason why we may enter this space and try to release some big movies ourselves this way, is because I’m concerned that as theater owners try to strangle innovation and distribution, not only are they going to kill theaters–they might kill movies.”
Sarandos was alluding to exhibitors’ resistance in previous years to any digital release of movies that would impinge on their own windows, as when Universal nearly changed the traditional distribution strategy for the 2011 movie “Tower Heist,” only to back down after considerable pressure. Studios have since largely disavowed premium VOD, though smaller independent films have been released day-and-date with increasing frequency in recent years.
But he stopped short of criticizing the studios. “I don’t blame the studios for what they’re doing and I don’t fault them, because the studios are always trying to innovate,” he said.
Sarandos turned to statistics from this summer’s box office, pointing out that though more movies with a budget of more than $75 million were released this summer than any summer before, theaters saw only a six percent lift in attendance.
Just days after indicating on Netflix’s third-quarter earnings call his interest in getting into the movie Sarandos went a step further today when he suggested releasing “big movies” on Netflix the same day they appear in theaters.
“Why not premiere movies on Netflix the same day they’re opening in theaters? And not little movies. There’s a lot of people and a lot of ways to do that. But why not big movies?”
“Why not follow with the consumer’s desire to watch things when they want, instead of spending tens of millions of dollars to advertise to people who may not live near a theater, and then make them wait for four or five months before they can even see it?” he added. “They’re probably going to forget.”
This comes after Monday’s third quarter earning’s call, where Sarandos, seeing the success of original series like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black,” said Netflix expects to double its original programming spending in 2014 and include original movies. Though he couldn’t quantify how much original series helped boost business, he said “it definitely helped.” Netflix currently has more than 31.1 million customers.
Sarandos also hinted plans at a third season of “House of Cards,” which is currently in its last week of shooting season two.
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 10-27-2013 09:27 PM
quote: Geoff Jones
If every movie came out in theatres and home video at the same time, what would happen?
Many people would say I'm not going to pay extra to see this in a cinema
You are forgetting one big thing: There is a huge number of people who (1) ONLY want to see the movie the day it comes out, or very quickly at least, and (2) don't care what kind of device they watch it on. They would be just as happy watching it on a phone as a theater screen.
The problem is the theater industry NEEDS that group of people. There are lots of people who like the theater experience as the best way to see a movie, but many who don't really give a crap HOW they see it; what matters to them is WHEN they see it. So if a movie came out on Netflix, that group is just as likely to watch it on their smartphone as in a theater. (Probably more likely, since they're going to go with the cheapest option since they don't care about quality.)
quote: Edward Havens
home video in all its forms needs the theatrical promotional engine to get the word out about the new titles. They need the tens of millions of promotional dollars distributors spend to promote these movies. They need the word of mouth that films build to become the Gravitys and Slumdog Millionaires and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragons of our industry.
Correct. If a movie came out on all-platforms at once, the video industry would get part of the pie and exhibition would get a smaller part than it gets now. The video people would be paying less money than the theatrical people, because who knows how many people are over at Joe's house watching the movie he paid $20 for. Therefore the studios would get less money, and the theaters would get less money. Eventually marginal theaters would close down and the studios would get even less money. And so on. Next thing you know, the movie industry is a reiteration of the music industry, which despite the huge "popularity" of downloads, is a shadow of what it was just 15 years ago.
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 10-28-2013 04:43 PM
Ted Sarandos has nothing to lose and everything to gain from making such comments. He was careful to target his competition (exhibitors) and not bite the hand the feeds him (studios).
It would be a major detriment to my business, but I do forsee a day when a major release is done simultaneously in theaters and to homes (as I have stated before in related discussions). I think it's inevitable, and it's just a matter of "when" not "if."
Currently, theatrical releases are the primary marketing vehicle for a movie's home release. This is indisputable... right now. All it takes is for the numbers to swing enough where it makes sense for a studio to try doing a day-and-date. "Tower Heist" was a trial that didn't work (as far as I know), but my guess is that it still provided some critical data to make the next attempt more successful.
The idea that a movie is not good if it doesn't go to full theatrical release isn't accurate. We would like it to be true, because it maintains the current status quo of sending worthy movies through the theatrical pipeline, but how different is a limited theatrical run (a few weeks in a few dozen theaters) to a non-theatrical run for an independent movie? If it's good, it's good, no matter how many theaters it played in.
The difference is in how many people can be reached to attract them to see it, and then generate some word of mouth and other buzz. That challenge can be overcome quality product with an effective marketing campaign.
Take a look at original programming on cable for an example. Eight years ago, who would have guessed that AMC would have garnered the popularity it has gotten with Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad? How about HBO and Showtime with their original programming? Then take a look at what Netflix has done with shows like House of Cards. Before they happened, few people would have thought that those organizations had it in them (HBO might be an exception because of their time in the trenches).
Getting back to movies, Lincoln almost went direct-to-video. If it had, it wouldn't have been eligible for the 12 Oscar nominations that it received, as well as the two wins. Would Daniel Day-Lewis' performance been any less good if it had premiered on HBO or Netflix instead of doing a theatrical run?
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