While cinema chains may be pushing hard against collapsing release windows, it’s going to be the future of how we watch movies, and it’s coming sooner than you think. Over the past year, every major studio has been looking at premium VOD as way to fight piracy and make up for the money they’re losing on declining home video sales. Late in the summer, it emerged that Apple was in talks with with Warner Bros. and Universal about helping them go to market. Now, it looks like Paramount may test the waters — sort of — with a big upcoming release.
Deadline reports that Netflix and Paramount/Skydance are negotiating a deal that would see Alex Garland‘s upcoming “Annihilation” debut on the streaming service internationally just 17 days after it opens in the U.S. on February 23rd. So, does this mean there’s a lack of faith in the movie? Not exactly.
It all comes down to hard numbers and acting in the best interest of the bottom line. The thinking here is that most of the box office returns for “Annihilation” will be earned domestically (as was the case for “Ex Machina“), and Netflix will give the film a bigger audience immediately, versus your standard international theatrical rollout abroad. It’s certainly disheartening news for anyone who wants to see Garland’s likely gorgeous film on the big screen outside of the U.S., Canada and China, but from a studio perspective, Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gina Rodriguez are not blockbuster draws (yes, Portman and Isaac are part of the “Star Wars” family, that’s an exception, and that familiarity doesn’t carry over to their other efforts).
This is surprising news, but it’s going to become a standard. Netflix has already made a similar deal with New Line for the upcoming “Shaft,” with the streaming giant also fronting half that film’s budget.
The real gear shift will occur be when major stateside releases are available to be streamed or purchased within weeks of hitting cinemas. But you can be certain Hollywood will be paying close attention to how “Annihilation” plays out, and what it means for how audiences watch movies.