Recently, Hollywood icon Christopher Nolan clarified that he will never work with Netflix. His comment comes in the wake of Netflix's takeover of Warner Bros. "If you make a theatrical film, it’s to be played in theaters. Netflix has a bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films. They have this mindless policy of everything having to be simultaneously streamed and released," he said.
Many have disagreed with Nolan's views, saying that Netflix wants to be where people are watching. The streaming giant's place is growing prominent by the day in the wake of increasing ticket prices. "I stopped going to the theater because tickets are $20,don’t allow outside food or drink but force you to buy their expensive concessions, and movies are mostly slop now anyway. It’s one of the very few things Netflix is doing right," a movie buff wrote.
Others have called for a change in strategy. "Netflix does need to get out of their comfort zone and give theatrical an exclusive window with big budget films. There is no VOD (Video On Demand), so give a film a month and then go streaming but give streaming some additional incentive like special features events etc."
While Netflix briefly experimented with "day-and-date" releases (releasing in theaters and on streaming simultaneously) in the mid-2010s, they have since shifted to a model that includes a short theatrical window of exclusivity. Major titles usually play exclusively in theaters for one to three weeks before arriving on the streaming platform.
