Netflix has been the cool new kid on the playground that everyone wants to know. Filmmakers and creators have rushed to befriend to the streaming titan, who treats them lavishly with the money and space to make whatever their want. Meanwhile, the old guard has watched their former allies and audiences follow suit, all while the traditional model of releasing movies and TV shows becomes increasingly archaic with each passing day. That said, the veterans still have one trick up their sleeve to trip up Netflix — they can change the rules of the game that’s being played.
Last week, the second members-only meeting in the history of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took place, and one of the items on the agenda was Netflix. Concerns were raised about whether or not the studio should be allowed to be eligible for nominations, if they’re just buying up movie theater slots for one-week runs to qualify (but wait, don’t all kinds of little distributors do the same thing?). “We’ve got to define what is a movie,” one governor said, while another opined major victories for Netflix could result in “a cheapening of the Oscar.” Also apparently worrying is the possibility that Netflix wins an Oscar and an Emmy for the same movie — the horror!
It’s all a bit amusing to see the Academy suddenly get concerned about the nobility of the Oscars, when most of the season is all about who can throw the most lavish events to court voters, popularity reigns supreme, and the quality of the movies in play is hardly the first concern. (To be fair, the Academy also discussed trying to put limits on those glad-handing parties, but let’s be real, no one really wants to give up months of free steak and lobster dinners with celebrities). The targeting of Netflix is made all the more transparent especially in the context of major studios planning to roll out premium VOD in the next year, which will see audiences at home able to order major releases, from 30 to 45 days after they open in cinemas.
The Oscars turn 90 this year, and just like everything else in the business, it’s not a shock that the Academy is resistant to change. It’s a shame that their unwillingness to face the future could result hamstringing one of the more progressive companies in town, who are eager to bankroll the kind of material that, frankly, many of those very Academy members probably wouldn’t make themselves. It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out, but at the very least, it confirms that Netflix has long hill to climb if they’re ever going to take home any major hardware. [Deadline]