AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In the movie business, the number of days that a film is shown exclusively in theaters is a big deal. That window, as the industry calls it, has shrunk over the years, especially since the advent of streaming services. So why has Netflix, the world's largest streamer, announced a wide theatrical release of its upcoming "Narnia" prequel? Well, NPR's Mandalit del Barco reports that this news has many in the film business excited.
MANDALIT DEL BARCO, BYLINE: After the massive success of her "Barbie" movie, writer-director Greta Gerwig took on a new film adaptation of the classic C. S. Lewis book "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew." On BBC Radio 4, Gerwig talked about the fantasy story, a prequel to "The Chronicles Of Narnia."
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
GRETA GERWIG: I really do have such reverence for "Narnia." I loved "Narnia" so much as a child.
DEL BARCO: Gerwig's big budget film includes actors Carey Mulligan, Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep. The streamer originally planned to release it in IMAX theaters for two weeks around Thanksgiving. But now the release date has been pushed to February, to be shown in movie theaters worldwide, not just IMAX, before it shows up on the streamer in April. That 49-day theatrical window, the first of its kind and duration for Netflix, has pleasantly surprised many in Hollywood, especially movie theater owners. Here's Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC, the country's largest movie theater chain, during a call to investors and reporters last week.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
ADAM ARON: This is the biggest opportunity our industry has ever had to embrace Netflix as a theatrical content provider.
DEL BARCO: Netflix has produced movies for years for its streaming platform. And it's not known for being movie-theater-friendly. In fact, the company's CEO, Ted Sarandos, outraged cinephiles by saying that many consumers prefer watching movies at home. This is Sarandos getting grilled onstage last year by Time Magazine's editor in chief, Sam Jacobs.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TED SARANDOS: Folks grew up thinking, I want to make movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them and play for the - in the theaters for two months. And people cry, and sold-out shows. It just doesn't happen very much anymore.
SAM JACOBS: It's outdated?
SARANDOS: It's an outdated concept.
JACOBS: So when someone gets up at the Oscars and says we need to make movies for movie theaters, for the communal experience, that's just an outmoded idea?
SARANDOS: I believe it is an outmoded idea for most people, not for everybody.
DEL BARCO: But Sarandos seems to have shifted gears. Last fall, Netflix made a bid for legacy movie studio Warner Bros. Sarandos promised he would premiere its original films in movie theaters. Many in the industry were skeptical and rallied against the proposed merger. In February, Sarandos was called to testify before the Senate judiciary antitrust subcommittee.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
SARANDOS: I have been asked to give a blood oath about the 45-day window.
DEL BARCO: Senator Cory Booker asked Sarandos about his new promise to release films in theaters.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CORY BOOKER: Will this be a fully exclusive 45-day theatrical window?
SARANDOS: Fully exclusive to theaters, yes.
DEL BARCO: Three weeks later, David Ellison's Paramount Skydance outbid Netflix for control of Warner and its assets. The consolidation is still being scrutinized by regulators. But during his bid for Warner Bros., Sarandos learned something, says Lucas Shaw. He oversees media and entertainment coverage for Bloomberg News.
LUCAS SHAW: During that process, Ted Sarandos spent more time talking to filmmakers, talking to movie theater owners. It made him maybe more receptive to trying a couple of things out.
DEL BARCO: Sarandos continues to try winning over mistrustful movie theater lovers. He even made an appeal to theater owners at their annual convention, CinemaCon. And Shaw says the timing was right for Netflix to support Greta Gerwig's "Narnia" in a big way.
SHAW: Is this a one-off because they have this very expensive movie with a major director? Or does this become the new norm and a new key part of the Netflix strategy?
DEL BARCO: Shaw says the film team at Netflix has long advocated for the company to reconsider theaters. And many big-name directors - Martin Scorsese, Guillermo del Toro, David Fincher, Kathryn Bigelow - have tried to get Netflix to wide release their films with exclusive theatrical windows. But Gerwig was the first to get this kind of a deal, which includes a big promotional splash.
SHAW: Anyone who's looking to work there will try to push for this. And one of the tricky things for Netflix to now navigate is, you know, how do you tell other filmmakers that their project isn't important enough or big enough to try that with?
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Singing) Because we are hunters.
DEL BARCO: Netflix has been experimenting with hosting live events at cinemas, such as theater singalongs for the anime hit "KPop Demon Hunters." At the same time, Amazon MGM Studios committed to releasing 14 of its movies into theaters this year and at least 15 next year. Amazon already has a box office hit with "Project Hail Mary."
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "PROJECT HAIL MARY")
RYAN GOSLING: I put the not in astronaut. I've never done anything. I've never done a spacewalk - I can't even moonwalk.
DEL BARCO: In addition, Universal Pictures recently announced it's extending its exclusive theatrical window next year.
SHAW: So they've had these signals, I guess, to try something new.
DEL BARCO: Something new for Netflix that's actually something old, showing movies in movie theaters.
Mandalit del Barco, NPR News, Los Angeles.
(SOUNDBITE OF LOLA YOUNG SONG, "CONCEITED") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
