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Question of the Day (QOTD) is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a film/TV-related question that we put to you, the reader. The comments section below is like the feedback box at work; except, in this example, we actually read what you write and care about what you have to say.
Word on the street is that Netflix is one of several companies interested in purchasing Lionsgate Studios, though the streaming company has not put in a formal offer yet and has denied such claims. After deals fell through with both Warner Bros. Discovery and Roku, acquiring Lionsgate and its valuable IP would certainly give its platform a boost.
However, here’s the problem. Netflix Films chairman, Dan Lin, recently made it known that he has no interest in making wide theatrical releases the norm at Netflix.
“There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical. Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with,” he told The New York Times in a recent interview (via Deadline).
“Because I have such a huge slate, my job is very different from other studio chairmen’s jobs,” the executive producer continued. “I can’t impose my taste on the slate. But I can impose a way of making movies. I can impose a way of how we want to work with filmmakers. I think people on the outside are pretty clear on what I’m going for: making someone’s favorite movie in a specific genre, focusing on variety and quality, and making Netflix the best place for filmmakers to work.”
It’s clear Netflix has no interest in theatrical and Lin’s comments seem to suggest that everything the streamer said about Warner Bros.’ slate staying theatrical after it acquired them was a lie.
So, the question I ask today is: Do you think Netflix is being dumb not budging on theatrical releases? And bonus question: Do you want Netflix to acquire Lionsgate, giving it control of John Wick, Hunger Games, Twilight, Saw, Now You See Me, Expendables, and more franchises?
I’ll see you in the trenches.
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