Steven Spielberg Says Netflix Films shouldn't Quality for Oscar Noms.

[sandman slim]

I'd say he's right. Streaming is to theaters what Napster was to CD sales, and we all know how that turned out. We're right in the middle of the tipping point, with major stars like Will Smith, major productions like Cloverfield & Annihilation, and major directors like Scorsese all opting for Netflix. They apparently have unlimited cash, and they're using it to disrupt the movie business in ways that Hollywood can't (or won't) compete with. $175 million for a gangster movie? Nobody in Hollywood is going to finance that, even with the talent involved, because it will never recoup that kind of investment. Released theatrically, it might have a chance at being in the same neighborhood as The Departed: $100 million or so at the box office, and some big awards. And it would have had a much smaller budget. Netflix doesn't play by the same rules as the movie business, there's no reason they should be eligible for their awards.

Originally Posted by Doctor Jack

“maybe with the promise of a slight one-week theatrical window to qualify them for awards,” ... How is this any different than when you and your contemporaries get your movies in 2 theaters on December 31st so you can qualify for Oscars. Or am I reading this wrong?

Difference being that movies like Spielberg's most recent, The Post, open in limited release, then go wide a few weeks later and play theaters for months. Unless I missed something, no Netflix film has ever played nationwide theatrically; I know they've never been shown here.

Originally Posted by Zillamon51

I understand where he's coming from, and in principle I agree. But the rules are the rules, and the films qualify if they meet the criteria. If they make it harder to qualify, like upping the number of theaters or the length of the run, it might shut out some smaller films that aren't made for streaming. All I can see them doing, is possibly adding a rule that a film can't be released for home viewing until after a certain time has elapsed from its qualifying theatrical run.

That would be the movie industry's only real solution to the situation, and it would force Netflix to make the decision: forget the awards prestige, or incur all the extra expenses involved in being a theatrical distributor. Do they really want that Oscar bad enough to pony up another hundred million in P & A? Doubt it.