National Association of Theatre Owners president and CEO John Fithian says cinema operators are open to playing Netflix movies should the streamer want to monetize its original films.
His comments came at CinemaCon, where film companies are touting their upcoming slates to exhibitors. The Las Vegas convention comes days after the growth of streaming — the bane of exhibitors — was thrown into tumult when Netflix said it had lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter.
And on Monday, newly installed Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav said on an earnings call that the conglomerate would not “overspend” to secure streaming subscriber growth. Rather, the studio’s integrated streaming platforms will “complement” existing and traditional TV and theatrical platforms like Warner Bros. films and TV series and HBO.
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Asked about Zaslav’s comments at a press conference, Fithian said: “Zaslav defined what it means to have a movie work theatrically. It pops the home market.”
For years, Netflix has refused to abide by a traditional theatrical release. “We love those guys [Netflix]. [Co-CEO] Ted Sarandos knows movies and TV better than anyone in Hollywood. Our doors are open to give broader play to Netflix movies. We’d love to play more of their movies,” said Fithian.
Right now, Netflix films don’t typically play at major chains. One exception is Cinemark, which has shown titles like Dwayne Johnson actioner Red Notice.
Motion Picture Association chairman Charles Rivkin said he couldn’t comment on the issue, since his member companies include both the studios and Netflix. “Each company has their own strategy,” Fithian said.
During his address at the annual gathering of theater owners, Fithian took direct aim at day-and-date releases by conglomerates. “I am pleased to announce that simultaneous release is dead as a serious business model, and piracy is what killed it,” Fithian said. “When a pristine copy of a movie makes its way online and spreads, it has a very damaging impact on our industry.”
Meanwhile, Rivkin underscored how piracy runs rampant for films that are released simultaneously on streaming and in theaters. In his address, Rivkin noted that he was “encouraged by our progress in this ongoing fight against piracy, and I’m also encouraged by the surges that we are currently seeing at the global box office. These current box office successes show that moviegoers still enjoy the sanctity and the social headiness of shared space.”
