Hollywood Breakdown
Netflix Deals Shake Up Film Release Patterns
Netflix and IMAX announced this week they'll simultaneously release a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But the theater owners who have control of most of the IMAX screens in the country say that won't play the film. Adam Sandler also has a new deal with Netflix. He'll release four films through the online streaming service.
By Kim Masters • • 3m ListenIn a first-of-its-kind deal, Netflix and IMAX have declared they'll release a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film would be available on Neflix and to watch at an IMAX theater simultaneously. There's just a couple of problems. Almost no one involved in the original Crouching, including director Ang Lee, will work on the followup... leading people to wonder if it can really be called a sequel. Plus, the three largest movie theater chains in the country are boycotting the film's IMAX release, leaving very few IMAX screens available for the movie to play. In another Netflix deal, the streaming service has said they'll make four feature films with Adam Sandler. The budget will be the same as a typical Adam Sandler movie, around $80 million, but there's no plans for the films to run in theaters.
