We’ve heard speculation from Alfonso Cuaron and others that the upcoming Netflix film “Roma” would be getting a more extensive awards season theatrical run than most films from the streaming service. And according the Netflix, that’s exactly what’s going to happen, as the Golden Lion-winning film will debut on 100 screens as it hits the streaming service in December.
According to Deadline, details for the release are still not completely known, but similar to how the streaming service treated Paul Greengrass’ “22 July,” Cuaron’s “Roma” is getting particularly special treatment as Netflix hopes for Oscar gold. On December 14, in addition to the ability to stream the movie on the subscription service, 100 theaters around the world will show “Roma,” including the obvious US locations of New York and Los Angeles.
READ MORE: Alfonso Cuaron Describes “Darwinian Adam And Eve” Film That He Almost Made Before ‘Roma’
“We believe in our member-centric simultaneous release model for our original films and welcome additional theatre chains that are open to carrying our films to provide the shared-viewing, big-screen experience to their customers who enjoy that option,” said Netflix exec Reed Hastings.
Another thing that Netflix is considering as it finalizes a release strategy is to focus on theaters that present the film in Dolby Atmos. The specialty sound system is crucial to “Roma,” as Cuaron has said in the past that he worked extensively on the sound of the film. In addition, Deadline says that Netflix is also pursuing the possibility of an IMAX run for the film, but no confirmation has been made.
As we’ve discussed in the past, “Roma” is a deeply personal film for Cuaron, set in the 1970s and shot in beautiful black and white. However, the filmmaker didn’t want to create something that looked 40 years old. Instead, he used cutting-edge technology, including the incredible picture quality and the aforementioned sound to create an immersive experience to put the audience there with the characters.
So, if you are a fan of Cuaron’s work and want to see “Roma” the way the filmmaker intended, either you can hurry up and upgrade your home theater system or keep an eye to see where the film will be playing near you.
“Roma” is scheduled to hit theaters and Netflix simultaneously on December 14.