Netflix still really, really wants the Best Picture Oscar, and it looks like the streaming giant will try even harder to win it in 2020.
At this year's Oscars, Netflix failed to nab the top prize with Roma, and pundits have speculated this had everything to do with the company's untraditional release strategy. Many Oscars voters take issue with Netflix only releasing its movies in limited theaters for a few weeks at most before debuting them online, whereas a traditional studio movie won't be available outside of theaters for three months.
But Netflix is brushing itself off and trying again with The Irishman, the Martin Scorsese film that will release this fall. The Hollywood Reporter says Netflix is in discussions to give this film a wide release. Details remain unclear, but major theater chains like AMC don't play movies without 90 days of exclusivity, which Netflix has never before offered (although rival streamer Amazon Prime Video has). If they go wide, Netflix's box office figures would be reported for the first time.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
At least part of the reason for giving The Irishman a wide release is that Scorsese reportedly wants one. But the company's desire for more Oscar gold also seems to be a factor, especially as its reportedly "looking at its release strategy" for five other films that could receive awards recognition. The Reporter notes that this comes as some members of the Academy are trying to enact a new rule to disqualify any film that doesn't play exclusively in theaters for four weeks from the top awards.
While Netflix hasn't yet confirmed this reporting, The Irishman's teaser already hinted at a shift in attitude for the company. "In theaters this fall," the end of the trailer proudly declared, followed by — almost as an afterthought — "... and on Netflix."
-
The NCAA is a 'billion-dollar sports behemoth' that 'should not be a nonprofit'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLSspeed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics
-
What's a pocket rescission and can Trump use one?The Explainer The White House may try to use an obscure and prohibited trick to halt more spending
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to ChinaSpeed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with DisneySpeed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B dealSpeed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance mergerSpeed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profitsSpeed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new highSpeed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliablespeed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutinySpeed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
