Here’s a story that could be rather confusing at first glance – Netflix will be releasing 10 films at cinemas before making them available to stream.
These 10 films include Martin Scorsese’s upcoming The Irishman starring Robert de Niro and Al Pacino.
The question is why release at a cinema when you have a captive audience online itching to stream new content? The answer is simple: Netflix wants more Oscars.
According to a report from The Verge, in order for a film to qualify for an Oscar it must run at a Los Angeles county cinema for at least seven days.
Unfortunately for those of us that aren’t fans of the theatre experience the 10 films hitting cinemas won’t be available to stream for at least a month. For instance, The Irishman is due for a 1st November theatrical release but only arrives on Netflix on 27th November.
This isn’t the first time Netflix has done this either. In 2018 it only pushed four films (Bird Box, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Mowgli and Roma) to cinema releases. Only Roma and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs managed to walk away with awards so the logic follows that more cinema releases means a better shot at winning a golden statue.
Of course Netflix winning an Oscar did not sit well with everybody and Steven Spielberg famously said films from streaming services shouldn’t qualify for the Oscars because they had a brief run at the cinema.
The 10 films debuting at the cinema are listed below along with the date they are expected to arrive on Netflix. Release dates on Netflix may vary according to region.
Film | Cinema Release | Netflix Release |
The Laundromat | 7th September | 18th October |
Dolemite Is My Name | 4th October | 25th October |
The King | 11th October | 1st November |
The Irishman | 1st November | 27th November |
Earthquake Bird | 1st November | 15th November |
Marriage Story | 6th November | 6th December |
Klaus | 8th November | 15th November |
I Lost My Body | 15th November | 29th November |
Atlantics | 15th November | 29th November |
The Two Popes | 27th November | 20th December |