discussion Netflix's new film strategy: more about the audience, less about auteurs

[okgo]

Dan Lin, the streaming service's new film chief, wants to produce a more varied slate of movies to better appeal to the array of interests among subscribers.

 

Back in, say, 2019, if a filmmaker signed a deal with Netflix, it meant that he or she would be well paid and receive complete creative freedom. Theatrical release? Not so much. Still, the paycheck and the latitude — and the potential to reach the streaming service's huge subscriber base — helped compensate for the lack of hoopla that comes when a traditional studio opens a film in multiplexes around the world.

 

But those days are a thing of the past.

 

Dan Lin arrived as Netflix's new film chief on April 1, and he has already started making changes. He laid off around 15 people in the creative film executive group, including one vice president and two directors. (Netflix's entire film department is around 150 people.) He reorganized his film department by genre rather than budget level and has indicated that Netflix is no longer only the home of expensive action flicks featuring big movie stars, like "The Gray Man" with Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans or "Red Notice" with Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson.

 

Rather, Mr. Lin's mandate is to improve the quality of the movies and produce a wider spectrum of films — at different budget levels — the better to appeal to the varied interests of Netflix's 260 million subscribers. He will also be changing the formulas for how talent is paid, meaning no more enormous upfront deals.

 

In other words, Netflix's age of austerity is well underway. The company declined to comment for this article.

 

Now that Netflix has emerged as the dominant streaming platform, it no longer has to pay top dollar to lure auteur filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarón and Bradley Cooper. It also helps that some of the big studios are again allowing their films to be shown on Netflix not long after they appear in theaters, providing more content to attract subscribers. The latest list of the 10 most-watched English-language films on the service featured six produced outside Netflix.

 

Full: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/business/media/netflix-movies-dan-lin.html

 

[Miles.]

Quote

auteur filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarón and Bradley Cooper

 

[Virgos Groove]

Their (non-auteur) movies are already garbage, so I don't wanna imagine how much worse it's gonna get. Scorcese warned us.

[okgo]

19 minutes ago, Miles. said:

 

he has like 5 Best Pic Oscar noms so he technically is (and both projects as director very acclaimed) right?

 

 

Edited April 15 by okgo

[vale9001]

Good luck to get these "2 minutes viewed" records without the rock. 

[Khal]

I find it hard to believe that their previous strategy wasn't already more about the audience? Isn't that why they release loads of mediocre shite, to pander to audiences with low attention spans who want something light and easy that they can watch while scrolling through Insta? If that was their "auteur" era, then yikes

[Paultea]

The only reason they courted auteurs was to win Best Picture. Apple beat them to it and they were embarrassed. Now after years of noms they're probably realizing they don't really have a shot. Their awards movies are good, but I've always thought it was incredibly stupid of them to brush off the theatrical release, at least for these. They create reasoning that it would be unfair for their subscribers (okay, fine) but at the same time want industry voters to award them. The initial release is the start of the campaigns and they are already at a disadvantage. 

[Archetype]

4 minutes ago, Khal said:

I find it hard to believe that their previous strategy wasn't already more about the audience? Isn't that why they release loads of mediocre shite, to pander to audiences with low attention spans who want something light and easy that they can watch while scrolling through Insta? If that was their "auteur" era, then yikes

Previously, yes, but I think after Roma's major award season wins, they started to invest in one or two Oscar-bait movies per year.  However, these movies didn't really bring in viewers despite gradually increasing the budget, so this new move sort of makes sense.  I think this article is a bit mis-worded though, as they're grouping in major action flicks with famous stars into the same "auteur" category, and saying movies won't be divided into budget levels (as they currently are), which should mean a more evenly distributed budget across different types of movies.  Maybe this can be a good thing?

[Johnny Jacobs]

So... More movies with less budget? Smart. 

 

Paying hundreds of millions just to pay movie stars ridiculous salaries is dumb. 

 

 

[TaylorNation]

more about the audience, less about auteurs, still garbage 

[fridayteenage]

2 hours ago, Miles. said:

 

Well u may consider him a bad auteur but he does direct, write, and produce his films

 

[Europe]

Pleasing their audience is what they should be aiming for. This seems like a good decision.

 

[Eat The Acid]

Ok - but I hope there's going to be good content

[Eóghan]

 

the movies are already bad, it's gonna get worse

but honestly it's good news for movie theaters. soon enough it will be the only place to watch quality movies

 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, AbeHicks said:

Pleasing their audience is what they should be aiming for. This seems like a good decision.

but the audience has trash taste, just look at the top movies every month on netflix ... all rotten movies on 'rotten tomatoes' and barely scratching 6/10 on iMDb

 

it's just something that they consume on the moment and end up having no legacy and forgotten within the year

 

[DanyelP23]

I wonder how this decision is going to play out.

They don't want to play huge sums of money for stars, but at the same time they don't want to invest in 'auteur' movies.

These 'auteur' movies are usually the ones for which actors would recognizable names would sign up for less money.

Which big movie star wants to be in a sh1t/'commercial' movie and be paid poorly?

Which means, they'll have to go with lesser known actors or newcomers. Curious to see how the gp will react and if it's gonna end up in a success or not.

[EdgeofTeeth]

They've put out more and more low-quality garbage as the years go on, glad to know it's going to get worse