A movie that’s considered one of the front-runners for the upcoming Oscars arrives on Netflix today even as it continues to run in selected theaters. The Arizona Daily Sun reports that “Roma” was released in a handful of theaters just before Thanksgiving, three weeks before today’s Netflix release date.
As we reported previously, the Alfonso Cuaron picture was singled out as the front-runner for Best Picture after both the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the New York Film Critics Online declared it the best movie of the year.
The Daily Sun reports that the movie, which is being distributed in the U.S. by Netflix, “has become a flash point in the contentious debate over the future of film distribution.”
“Facing rising competition from Disney and other media giants entering the streaming business, Netflix is increasingly eager to lure filmmakers who want their movies to be shown on a big screen and get awards recognition,” the story reports.
But the report also notes that the new Netflix film distribution strategy has drawn criticism.
“Many cinema chains are refusing to screen ‘Roma,’ saying it sets a bad precedent,” the story reports. “It’s a battle that has pitted the exhibitors that built Hollywood against the powerful streaming giant that has radically disrupted its conventions.”
This is not a movie that would have done well in theaters this time of year battling mass marketing films like Mary Poppins and Aquaman. Putting this on Netflix and properly promoting it there, may get many more people to see it than would have at the theaters. And minimally it will assure that more people are aware of it than even had heard of Shape of Water or Moonlight. This may actually be good for the industry as it continues its push to focus on art films for the awards and ignore movies that have been seen by a mass audience.