Netflix Struggling to Get Martin Scorsese's The Irishman in Theaters. Update: no agreement reached

JonesBones

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It's best days are behind it. Dump the stock. Their answer to everything is just throw more money at it. The theaters want a delay before it hits Netflix.

The war between Netflix and major theater chains has now spilled over into one of the streaming giant's most high profile projects of all time: Martin Scorsese's The Irishman. Part of the reason Scorsese agreed to make his latest crime epic on Netflix is because the company has always planned on releasing the film in theaters, as well as on the streaming service. However, theaters still aren't happy with how Netflix is aiming to do that.

According to a new report from The New York Times, negotiations are still ongoing between Netflix and national theater chains AMC and Cineplex. Talks between Netflix and the theaters stalled out back in July and have picked back up in the last couple of weeks, but there's no information as to how those conversations are going just yet. The theaters want Netflix to wait at least a couple of months before the film is available to stream after arriving in theaters. Of course, Netflix isn't keen on that idea.


"Talks are underway about our showing The Irishman and other Netflix films, but the outcome of those conversations is not yet clear," AMC executive Adam Aron told The Times.

At this time, the other two biggest chains in the country, Regal and Cinemark, are not in negotiations with Netflix regarding The Irishman or other films.


With Scorsese at the helm, and an all-star cast of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Jo Pesci in front of the camera, Netflix wants to make a big awards push for The Irishman this year, just as it did for Roma last year. The only problem is that theatrical release window, which has become a massive point of contention between the streaming studio and the various awards committees.

https://comicbook.com/movies/2019/08/22/netflix-the-irishman-theater-release-struggles/

One way or another, The Irishman is going to play in theaters. Netflix has too much invested in the project, and they're planning on giving it a major Oscar push when awards season heats up. AMC and Cineplex are not going to determine the film's fate at the Academy Awards. The only thing at stake here is how many theaters The Irishman will play in and where. If Netflix can't come to terms with the big chains, they can opt to give The Irishman a limited run in smaller theaters located in big markets. Scorsese, a longtime advocate for cinema and the theatergoing experience, is understandably pushing for a classic nationwide release, but he may have to compromise should the talks continue to go nowhere.

This issue isn't going to go away any time soon. Netflix is looking to make a splash at the 2020 Oscars not just with The Irishman, but also Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story and possibly Steven Soderbergh's The Laundromat. The streaming giant also has new films from acclaimed directors like Spike Lee and David Fincher in the pipeline, illustrating a concerted effort by Netflix to continuously be in the Oscar discussion. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out, but there's no denying things have drastically changed with the prominence of streaming.



disclaimer: I own shares of AMC and also Dolby stock. Dolby provides a great theater experience I am told.


UPDATE:


Netflix Forgoes Wide Release for Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'

The streamer and theater owners have been unable to reach a compromise that would allow the star-studded drama to play on thousands of screens across the country.
Not even a Martin Scorsese mob pic could bridge the divide between Netflix and cinema chains.

The streamer will forgo a wide theatrical release for Scorsese's The Irishman in order to make the film available to its subscribers as quickly as possible, a longstanding policy that doesn't fly with exhibitors. There had been rampant speculation that the Oscar-hungry Netflix might further soften its stance in regard to honoring theatrical windows, but in the end, it couldn't reach a compromise with chains including AMC and Cineplex.

The Irishman will open Nov. 1 in select indie cinemas willing to carry the drama. More than three weeks later — or 26 days to be exact — it will debut Nov. 27 on Netflix, much as Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar-nominated Roma did last year. This rules out the sort of big-screen blitz Scorsese and other seasoned directors are used to, unless something changes at the 11th hour. (The Irishman makes its world premiere Sept. 27 at the New York Film Festival, where it's the opening night film.)

Last year, Netflix acknowledged the value of the theatrical experience when announcing that Romaand other Oscar hopefuls would play exclusively in cinemas for two to three weeks before being made available to its subscribers. But that wasn't enough to appease all Oscar voters — or theater chains, which insist on a 90-day window between the time a title opens and is released on home entertainment (for digital sell-through, it can be 74 to 76 days).

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...ide-release-martin-scorseses-irishman-1234382
 
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Watch this movie turn out to be hot garbage.

Theaters are right though. Without a significant gap in releases there's no point in doing it. Why the fuck am I gonna pay to go see it in theaters when it's gonna be on Netflix for free and I can watch it on my big ass 4K TV while smoking a doob in my undies?
 
I see the movie theater owners point. The theaters only get a small percentage take on a movies first week receipt and it goes up the longer a movie stays in theaters
 
Soderbergh still making movies? jesus fucking christ. Also movies like The Irishman are not going to net that much gross anyway so giving these arthouse films a digital platform might do them some good since people only want to go to theater for watching mindless stuff, not heavy oscar worthy shit.
 
Seems like the cinemas should be the flexible ones here. Scorcese, deniro, pacino, pesci all together in a gangster movie. People are going to want to watch this.

If netflix produced it they obviously have the distribution network in place to give it to their subscribers. The theatres should be happy to have a movie that will get people to leave their house and go to the theatre even if it is only for a couple weeks.

A piece of something is better than all of nothing thinks me. But to be fair I am buzzing like a beehive right now.
 
Watch this movie turn out to be hot garbage.

Theaters are right though. Without a significant gap in releases there's no point in doing it. Why the fuck am I gonna pay to go see it in theaters when it's gonna be on Netflix for free and I can watch it on my big ass 4K TV while smoking a doob in my undies?

I think Netflix knows it's always gonna be a struggle to get chains to support them, as Netlix actively hurts their business on a daily basis. The chains aren't going to be all that charitable to their rival. Netflix is trying to have their cake and eat it too, but really, they don't actually care if it ends up in the big chains or not. They just want it to qualify for the Oscars. They know it won't make dick in theaters, and most will just opt to watch it at home. It'll just have a limited run in some some small theaters, make about $600 at the BO, and that's all that should be expected.

Scorsese is actually being pretty naive if he ever expected this to have a wide release while being available on a streaming service at the same time.
 
At this point Netflix would basically be better off "rolling their own" theatres, just like they make their own content.

The traditional media gatekeepers are only going to continue to stick it to them, hoping they can run them out of business and stave off the inevitable disruption of technology to their business models.
 
Why are a bunch of old Italians starring in a film called The Irishman? Haha
 
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Seems like the cinemas should be the flexible ones here. Scorcese, deniro, pacino, pesci all together in a gangster movie. People are going to want to watch this.

Yeah...on Netflix. Is anyone seriously gonna go out, spend money on a ticket that costs the same for one month Netflix, that they're likely already paying for?

Maybe some traditionalist cinephiles, but that's about it. The theaters are right in blocking this. It's business. Not charity.
 
Why are a bunch of old Italians starring in a film called The Irishman? Haha

I am just sick of the nostalgia in general. DeNiro, Pesci and Pacino in another mob movie. I just don't want that. Sorry.
At this point Netflix would basically be better off "rolling their own" theatres, just like they make their own content.

The traditional media gatekeepers are only going to continue to stick it to them, hoping they can run them out of business and stave off the inevitable disruption of technology to their business models.

The disrupter has become the disrupted. Netflix is the lone incumbent in streaming besides maybe Amazon, who is #2. Netflix stores their content on Amazon servers btw. Anyway, the big guns are consolidating. Disney buying FOX. AT and T -who owns HBO among other things -- merged with Time Warner. CBS and Comcast are set to merge. I am probably forgetting somebody too.

They are also going against old purists like Spielberg who are anti netflix and just signed a deal with Apple to pump out content. Along with Oprah and others. So even Apple is a competitor now. Netflix has had it easy for years.

Steven Spielberg will debut his anthology series “Amazing Stories” on Apple TV+, the streaming subscription service announced Monday at the Apple Event in Cupertino, Calif. Michael Schneider, senior editor at Variety, and Andrew Wallenstein, Variety’s co-editor-in-chief, sat down to talk about the famous director’s backing of Apple TV+.

“This was probably a subtle — or maybe not so subtle — slap at Netflix,” Schneider said. “Obviously Spielberg is in a bit of a tiff right now with Netflix over the definition of what’s a film.”

The two went on to say that Spielberg’s public backing of Apple TV at Monday’s event was Apple’s way of proving its intention to produce quality content.

“It felt like Apple was using him to say, ‘Hey, we are all about the best of craftsmanship when it comes to storytelling.’ I think they did it effectively,” Wallenstein said.


https://variety.com/video/steven-spielberg-apple-tv-netflix/
 
Yeah...on Netflix. Is anyone seriously gonna go out, spend money on a ticket that costs the same for one month Netflix, that they're likely already paying for?

Maybe some traditionalist cinephiles, but that's about it. The theaters are right in blocking this. It's business. Not charity.

Charity?
{<huh}

The movie will be seen by a lot of people, how would charging people for tickets and popcorn be charitable?

Theatres are dying, why would they not want a piece of something that people want to watch? People in the doors buy the overpriced snacks. Less people less revenue.

I didnt read that as a simultaneous release on screen and stream. Seems like the initial release was intended for theatres but they want to show it exclusively for months before it hits netflix. They should take what they can get for as long as they can with it.
 
I bet this movie has the record for the oldest 3 headline actors in history.

I wouldn't go see it because deniro is an 80 year old fruitcake, and Pacino and Pesci are 80 as well, respectively. Mob bosses who survived that long are either dying in prison or eating lunch at little diners with other old guys reminiscing about what they quit doing well over a decade before.

This movie is a cheap shot. It's kind of pathetic. Could it be well made with a decent script? Sigh.. Yes. But it's a eyerolling attempt at nostalgia, and Pesci and deniro were borderline too old for these roles 20 years ago.

If I voted for Hillary I would find deniro as moronic as I did Ted Nugent while Obama was president. It isn't even bias. He's a tard irl.
 
I bet this movie has the record for the oldest 3 headline actors in history.

I wouldn't go see it because deniro is an 80 year old fruitcake, and Pacino and Pesci are 80 as well, respectively. Mob bosses who survived that long are either dying in prison or eating lunch at little diners with other old guys reminiscing about what they quit doing well over a decade before.

This movie is a cheap shot. It's kind of pathetic. Could it be well made with a decent script? Sigh.. Yes. But it's a eyerolling attempt at nostalgia, and Pesci and deniro were borderline too old for these roles 20 years ago.

If I voted for Hillary I would find deniro as moronic as I did Ted Nugent while Obama was president. It isn't even bias. He's a tard irl.


Who cares what DeNiro is like in real life? Fact still remains that when it comes to mafia movies, he is on the Mount Rushmore. Add in Joe Pesci who is easily the greatest mobster in cinematic history directed by the best gangster director of all time and you have a recipe for success despite all of their advanced ages. If you enjoyed Goodfellas and Casino you are going to enjoy the hell out of this one as well.
 
I bet this movie has the record for the oldest 3 headline actors in history.

I wouldn't go see it because deniro is an 80 year old fruitcake, and Pacino and Pesci are 80 as well, respectively. Mob bosses who survived that long are either dying in prison or eating lunch at little diners with other old guys reminiscing about what they quit doing well over a decade before.

This movie is a cheap shot. It's kind of pathetic. Could it be well made with a decent script? Sigh.. Yes. But it's a eyerolling attempt at nostalgia, and Pesci and deniro were borderline too old for these roles 20 years ago.

If I voted for Hillary I would find deniro as moronic as I did Ted Nugent while Obama was president. It isn't even bias. He's a tard irl.
Wow I didn’t think about that at first. These guys are way too old to be playing these characters . They can’t even pull off being 50 years old.
 
I bet this movie has the record for the oldest 3 headline actors in history.

I wouldn't go see it because deniro is an 80 year old fruitcake, and Pacino and Pesci are 80 as well, respectively. Mob bosses who survived that long are either dying in prison or eating lunch at little diners with other old guys reminiscing about what they quit doing well over a decade before.

This movie is a cheap shot. It's kind of pathetic. Could it be well made with a decent script? Sigh.. Yes. But it's a eyerolling attempt at nostalgia, and Pesci and deniro were borderline too old for these roles 20 years ago.

If I voted for Hillary I would find deniro as moronic as I did Ted Nugent while Obama was president. It isn't even bias. He's a tard irl.
You're a lady
 
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