In the age of the internet, it seems that almost anything can be accessed through multiple services across various devices. Netflix, a widely successful provider of online movies and TV shows, has been challenging traditional means of accessing films since its creation in 1997.
The most recent and controversial retaliation from the worldwide streaming king was the release of the movie, “Beasts of No Nation”. This Netflix-made film about child soldiers in Africa hit the silver screen at the same time as it was available on Netflix, resulting in multiple theatres around the world boycotting the film.
Typically, when a movie is released, a 90-day period spans the time between the initial showing of the film in theatres and its home entertainment release. Theatre chains are reluctant to show films airing on private services before the allotted period of theatre-exclusive screen time because many more people would rather watch a movie at their convenience through Netflix than they would spend over ten dollars on a movie ticket. Amy Kaufman of Netflix said that “Beasts of No Nation “will definitely be seen by a lot more and different kinds of people through Netflix than it would have through a traditional platform.”
Private availability of movies eliminates the need to go to a theatre to see a film as soon as it premieres. In the case of “Beasts of No Nation”, larger theatre chains would rather boycott the film than spend money and air it for a smaller crowd. Since a large chain would earn more money by airing a big-time film with the 90-day period that forces viewers to go to their theatres if they want to see a film right away, it would make more sense to not even show “Beasts of No Nation” and save the money that would be put into showing the film when potential viewers could just watch it on Netflix instead of going to the theatre.
All of Netflix’s actions regarding the release of “Beasts of No Nation” have been legally sound — the film was completely produced by Netflix and its assets. Some small-time theatre groups don’t mind this move either.Tim League, the CEO of Alamo Drafthouse, said that he shows films regardless of their release strategy.
Expected losses in revenue for traditional movie theatres have caused anger across the industry. Since the gritty, intense, at times dark tone of “Beasts of No Nation” appeals to a wide audience, a large mass of that group could fall into Netflix’s current pool of 36.3 million subscribers which gained access to “Beasts of No Nation” at home as soon as the film premiered at theatres, meaning that not a single one of these people would have to go to a theatre and pay money to see the film. Netflix’s usability, accessibility and familiarity not only sway audiences to use the streaming service, but also demolish competition such as the once thriving Blockbuster franchise, a nationwide chain of stores that allowed customers to rent DVDs and VHS tapes for a fee based on the number of days that the customer had kept the rental.
The conflict over “Beasts of No Nation” may foreshadow a world in which traditional theatres are obsolete. Now that Netflix has proved it can produce films with A-List actors and state-of-the-line production quality, this future could quickly become a reality.
