With “The Irishman” less than two weeks away from making its Netflix debut, after debuting in a limited theatrical run 13 days ago, it appears that any hope that the streaming service would make a deal with theater exhibitors seems dead. At least for the time being.
According to a new interview with THR, the CEO of the Canadian theater chain, Cineplex, says that they’re open to making a deal with Netflix, but it’s not going to happen in time for a release of Martin Scorsese’s latest crime drama.
READ MORE: Theater Chief Labels Netflix’s Theatrical Run of ‘The Irishman’: “A Disgrace”
“That ship has sailed. We were unable to conclude a licensing agreement with [Netflix], so, unfortunately, we won’t be playing it in any of the Cineplex locations,” said Ellis Jacob, Cineplex president and CEO.
He added, “I know them. They are friends. They are good content makers. So we welcome the ability to play their pictures in our theaters as long as they are willing to observe the appropriate window.”
Outlets have reported that the discussions between Netflix and theater exhibitors such as Cineplex and AMC have been stalled around the issue of how long the release window should be for the streaming service’s films. Netflix is said to want something akin to a 30 to 45-day window, while the theater chains are willing to compromise down to 60 days. The current theatrical release is typically around 90 days.
However, to make a shorter window happen, not only will the exhibitors have to agree to terms with Netflix and other streamers, but also the major studios, such as Disney, Warner Bros, and Universal, who are going to want similar treatment, as they trot out their own streaming services. And that means theater chains will likely have to figure out how to make up for potential lost revenue from shorter windows.
That deal doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon, but Jacob wants Netflix to know, that in the case of “The Irishman,” the studio missed out on quite a bit of money from a theatrical release.
“They are leaving a lot of revenue on the table and they’re also not getting the benefit of their subscribers being able to see this movie on a big screen, and with big sound and big effects,” he said.
With 2019 coming to a close and most of the original Netflix films getting their limited releases, it appears that the fight for the theatrical exhibition of streaming films will have to continue into 2020.