Netflix is a bit of an anomaly. The company that has over 120 million subscribers globally has a seemingly unending bank account and is releasing new projects at an unprecedented pace. A new Netflix Original film or TV series used to be an event but is now just another Friday. This leads many fans to question just what direction the streaming service is going in for the future. And as far as the film side of the equation goes, it looks like the future is big. As in blockbuster big.
According to a new profile by THR, we are now starting to see where Netflix plans on going with its original films in the future. Overall, the film side of the streaming service is looking to become more selective moving forward, as opposed to the TV side. However, that doesn’t mean the streamer is looking only for prestige, Oscar-winning films. No, that means they want sure hits. And what is a sure hit in 2018? Apparently, Marvel-like blockbusters, rom-coms, and the occasional awards contender.
Leading the way is the Netflix chief of the film division, Scott Stuber. “They know they need to do what’s described as a watercooler movie. It’s one of Scott’s priorities,” says a producer who has competed with Netflix.
And what exactly is a “watercooler” movie? THR says Netflix is looking for films “as big as Marvel superhero pics and ‘Lord of the Rings’-style fantasy fare or prestige projects they can campaign for awards.” So yeah, expect more content like “Bright” in your future.
The report also states that the streaming giant is interested in those genres that are underrepresented by the large studios like rom-coms. And you can already see that shift, as Netflix just released the pretty great “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and previously had success earlier in the year with “Set it Up.” And the rom-com train will keep moving as “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” debuts in a couple weeks.
The next question many people have is how exactly Netflix decides what to purchase. The answer is interesting, as it appears the streamer is the only studio with its unique criteria. A sales agent told THR that at the film festivals, studios “send a couple of acquisition execs to watch a movie. [Netflix has] a guy show up with a computer who runs an algorithm.”
And this all pays off as Netflix says that films the streamer has released globally in 2018 have already been viewed over 850 million times. So it appears that the Netflix Original films are not going anywhere anytime soon. And in fact, the business is just going to get bigger.
