In a move that surprised everyone at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos just extended a major olive branch to movie theater owners. After years of insisting that the future of film was strictly on your couch, Netflix is now hinting at a massive shift: putting more of its big-budget movies into theaters first. This change of heart comes after the streamer’s recent interest in the theatrical business, with Sarandos reportedly meeting with the heads of AMC and Regal to find a way for the rivals to finally work together.
The buzz is all about whether Netflix will embrace a longer “theatrical window”—the time a movie stays in theaters before hitting the app. While they used to stick to tiny, two-week runs just for award eligibility, the streamer is now considering wider releases for its blockbusters to build more “hype” and cultural impact. Even though Sarandos still loves the streaming model, he admitted that “conditions change,” signaling that the next Netflix hit you watch might actually be on a massive screen with a bucket of popcorn in your lap.
