11 votes

Netflix has signed a ten-year lease to keep Manhattan's single-screen Paris Theatre open, which it can use to satisfy the theatrical-release requirement of the Oscars

14 comments

  1. [11]
    JXM
    Link
    Tangentially related to this, but the requirement that a movie be screened in a theater to be eligible for the Oscars is extremely outdated and needs to go.

    Tangentially related to this, but the requirement that a movie be screened in a theater to be eligible for the Oscars is extremely outdated and needs to go.

    15 votes
    1. [4]
      rkcr
      Link Parent
      I agree, though I also wonder if the Academy Awards would be overwhelmed with the number of possible submissions if they removed that requirement. "Must be on a real screen" is a high barrier...

      I agree, though I also wonder if the Academy Awards would be overwhelmed with the number of possible submissions if they removed that requirement. "Must be on a real screen" is a high barrier which naturally limits submissions; minus that requirement, they'll have to come up with something else.

      5 votes
      1. [2]
        AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        I have no doubt they would, even if it's just D movie studios submitting their films for fun. In a previous post about movies I found the box office earnings of the 735 theatrical releases in...

        I also wonder if the Academy Awards would be overwhelmed with the number of possible submissions if they removed that requirement.

        I have no doubt they would, even if it's just D movie studios submitting their films for fun. In a previous post about movies I found the box office earnings of the 735 theatrical releases in 2018, which pales in comparison to the 12,000 movies IMDB states were released that year. 735 is already a pretty lofty number to review, 12k would break them.

        3 votes
        1. tumbzilla
          Link Parent
          Assuming an average of 2 hrs per movie, that's 1,000 consecutive, full 24 hour days of film. You're right, it would shatter them.

          Assuming an average of 2 hrs per movie, that's 1,000 consecutive, full 24 hour days of film. You're right, it would shatter them.

          2 votes
      2. JXM
        Link Parent
        Let them be overwhelmed then. Sometimes you have to sit through 10 terrible movies to find the one great one. It’s the biggest movie event of the year. All should be welcome.

        Let them be overwhelmed then. Sometimes you have to sit through 10 terrible movies to find the one great one.

        It’s the biggest movie event of the year. All should be welcome.

    2. [6]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      Its a really terrible rule because it really only benefits the big studios that can afford the crazy releases like this. Cinema viewing is not a good way to make money unless you have a very wide...

      Its a really terrible rule because it really only benefits the big studios that can afford the crazy releases like this. Cinema viewing is not a good way to make money unless you have a very wide release.

      2 votes
      1. [5]
        tumbzilla
        Link Parent
        Gotta have some way to thin the number of movies to review. Got any alternative ideas?

        Gotta have some way to thin the number of movies to review. Got any alternative ideas?

        1 vote
        1. [4]
          Diet_Coke
          Link Parent
          You could do something like 'number of confirmed views' and count both ticket sales and streaming ... streams.

          You could do something like 'number of confirmed views' and count both ticket sales and streaming ... streams.

          2 votes
          1. [2]
            teaearlgraycold
            Link Parent
            How would you verify the view counts?

            How would you verify the view counts?

            1 vote
            1. Diet_Coke
              Link Parent
              How do they confirm ticket sales now? I doubt they're auditing the books of every theater in the country so there has to be some level of trust already built into the system.

              How do they confirm ticket sales now? I doubt they're auditing the books of every theater in the country so there has to be some level of trust already built into the system.

              1 vote
          2. tumbzilla
            Link Parent
            Good point. Would this risk a Boaty McBoatFace situation?

            Good point. Would this risk a Boaty McBoatFace situation?

            1 vote
  2. citizenerased
    Link
    I'm not a fan of this push from Netflix to bypass cinemas. However, I could be coming from a different background than most. Where I live, there's a tonne of independent cinemas. Shit's...

    I'm not a fan of this push from Netflix to bypass cinemas. However, I could be coming from a different background than most.

    Where I live, there's a tonne of independent cinemas. Shit's affordable, I can knock back a beer, and watch a whole variety of films - not just blockbuster trash.

    I would fight tooth and nail for the situation I'm in. I'd hate to live in a community where people all retreat to their homes to watch things on their laptops, where there's no decent cinemas, and where the bars are full of people "just wanting to get fucked up" as opposed being venues of various different cultural events and places to retreat to after having actually done something during the day.

    I'm not a fan of the entire world relying on big Silicon Valley companies controlling the messsage and collecting data on everything we do.

    5 votes
  3. Tlon_Uqbar
    Link
    If there's something I want to see, I'd go. But I'm not all that excited, because the draw of an independent theater is, well, independence. Thankfully there are still good independent and...

    If there's something I want to see, I'd go. But I'm not all that excited, because the draw of an independent theater is, well, independence. Thankfully there are still good independent and arthouse cinemas in New York.

    Funny how this resembles somewhat the pre-Paramount decision studio system, when studios owned their own chains as part of full vertical integration. This is a prestige/Oscar-requirements move, but the myriad streaming platforms and general media conglomeration seem to indicate we are moving back in that direction.

    4 votes
  4. unknown user
    Link
    Aside from the political shenanigans... It sounds pretty cool.

    Aside from the political shenanigans... It sounds pretty cool.

    2 votes