Netflix's Theatrical Stance
Netflix Film Chief Dan Lin Rejects Theatrical-First Releases, Prioritizing Efficient Production
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Netflix film chairman Dan Lin says the streamer will not work with filmmakers who insist on traditional theatrical-first release strategies, drawing a hard boundary around its approach to cinema partnerships. In a New York Times profile, Lin framed the stance as a business model—prioritizing films Netflix can make efficiently with tighter spending and clear expectations from directors—rather than a personal preference about movies. His comments contrast with the more theater-forward posture associated with Scott Stuber, who previously pushed for wider theatrical windows and courted major auteurs. Lin also emphasized that Netflix will still support select event-style theatrical rollouts, including a full theatrical release for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia project and an IMAX run planned for David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth, signaling limited openness to cinema while rejecting theatrical exclusivity. The divide reflects longer-running tensions over Netflix’s strategy, including the fallout from its failed bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, where standard theatrical windows were reportedly discussed. Overall, Netflix appears to be moving toward fewer, more controlled bets and partnerships on terms that keep theater from driving the release deal.
Key Points
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In The New York Times profile, Lin said he does not think of his role as a personal taste-setting exercise: “I can’t impose my taste on the slate. But I can impose a way of making movies… [and] how we want to work with filmmakers,” adding that “because I have such a huge slate, my job is very different from other studio chairmen’s jobs.”
2
Lin acknowledged that his blunt approach can upset filmmakers, telling the Times: “One mistake I made when I first joined the company was that filmmakers always said to me, ‘Please tell me the truth.’ And when I told them the truth, they might not have wanted to hear it… So now I’m learning how to better read people.”
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Netflix’s earlier willingness to talk theatrical windows during the Warner Bros. Discovery bid included a specific term: co-CEO Ted Sarandos said “Warner Bros. films would have the standard 45-day theatrical window.”
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The “select exceptions” Lin highlighted came with concrete rollout details. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Narnia’s traditional theatrical run will start Feb. 12, 2027 (with Netflix landing later on Apr. 2, 2027), and that The Adventures of Cliff Booth will get “a two-week Imax run globally starting Nov. 25,” followed by Netflix on Dec. 23.
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A separate example of internal tension over release timing involved actor Sally Field, who reportedly pushed for a fall release of Netflix title Remarkably Bright Creatures “to improve its awards prospects,” with Lin arguing it was “a family drama” and pushing for a different date.
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