Recently, it was confirmed that Netflix is using a new release strategy for its upcoming “Chronicles of Narnia” film from director Greta Gerwig. The film is actually going to get a wide IMAX release for a couple of weeks before it arrives on the streaming service. But according to the co-CEO of Netflix, you shouldn’t get used to this new strategy, as it’s not going to be something that is used often.
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Speaking on a recent corporate earnings call (via Deadline), Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos talked about the decision to release ‘Narnia’ in IMAX theaters before it hits the streamer. That is to say, he wanted to assure stockholders that this is a unique situation and there is “no change at all to our theatrical strategy.”
“Our core strategy is to give our members exclusive first round movies on Netflix,” said Sarandos. “The ‘Narnia’ Imax release is a release tactic. We routinely release movies and theaters a couple of weeks before to qualify for awards, to meet festival requirements and to prime the publicity pump a bit. In the case of ‘Narnia,’ it’s a two-week special event. I think it’s very differentiated from other runs, because I doubt anyone has a screen as big as an Imax screen at home.”
So, why is ‘Narnia’ getting this specialized release? Well, according to various reports, Gerwig was unhappy with the idea that her epic fantasy film would get a small theatrical release just days before arriving on Netflix. She wanted something more. And frankly, if you’re going to give an IMAX release to a film, ‘Narnia’ would be a good candidate. There were also rumors that she would walk away from the project if Netflix didn’t change how it released the film. Thus, IMAX.
This new statement from Sarandos is clearly meant to let people know (including filmmakers) that Netflix isn’t going to be in the business of wide theatrical releases. This is still a company that prides itself on releasing films on the streaming service for its worldwide audience. That said, you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube, and now that a specialized IMAX release has been agreed to, there could be other filmmakers hoping to land something similar for their films. We’ll just have to wait and see.
There’s currently no release date set for “Chronicles of Narnia.”
