Netflix CEO Says ‘Barbie’ & ‘Oppenheimer’ Would Have Been Just As Successful On Streaming

When you’re the CEO of Netflix, obviously you’re going to be pro-streaming. You might even say things that most people would shake their heads at, but you believe. Because you’re the best evangelist for your company. All that to say, it’s no surprise Ted Sarandos said some wild stuff about Netflix and streaming films on a phone.

Speaking as part of a New York Times interview, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos once again talked about how you can equate box office wins with streaming success and even used two massive 2023 films to prove his point. Oh yeah, and he also talked about how it’s okay for people to stream classic films on their phones. 

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When the conversation got to “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” two films that made a billion dollars at the box office in 2023, Sarandos was quick to say that both films would have had just as much viewership success on his streaming service.

“Both of those movies would be great for Netflix,” Sarandos said. “They definitely would have enjoyed just as big an audience on Netflix.”

Obviously, he’s leaving out one massive component that separates box office success from streaming success– money. Sure, “Barbie” would have been watched by tens of millions of people on Netflix. Maybe even more than went to the theater to watch the film. But because the film was released in theaters, it became a cultural phenomenon and earned $1.45 billion worldwide. 

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But that’s not all. Sarandos also talked about the way people watch films via Netflix. Even though Christopher Nolan would have an aneurysm if he heard this in person, the Netflix boss talked about how it’s perfectly okay to stream a film like “Lawrence of Arabia” on your personal phone.

He added, “And so I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that certain kinds of movies do or don’t work. There’s no reason to believe that the movie itself is better in any size of screen for all people. My son’s an editor. He is 28 years old, and he watched ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ on his phone.”

Look, we are big fans of streaming. Anything that gives artists a way to release their work for a worldwide audience is a good thing. But to say that watching “Lawrence of Arabia” on your phone is equal to seeing it at a cinema is bonkers. That’s just not true. It can’t be true. 

However, as mentioned at the beginning, when you’re the CEO of Netflix, you have to say this sort of wild shit. That’s your job–to make sure people understand that streaming is the future and it’s just as valid as cinema-going.