Netflix has been under fire at the Cannes film festival over its decision not to release two of its ‘films’, which are being shown at the festival, into French cinemas. The company is also upsetting standard movie industry practice by releasing content on its own platform without a ‘theatrical window’ In France there is a law that mandates a delay of 36 months between theatrical and home release. The film festival this year accepted two titles from Netflix, but the firm decided not to make them available in cinemas. As a consequence, the film festival will change its rules for next year so that only films with a cinema release can be nominated for the Festival.
Analyst Comment
It’s hard to believe that Cannes is going to add to its prestige by mandating French cinema release. There are lots of good films around the world that might not be shown in France. I could understand, perhaps, if the rule was that there had to be a cinema release in at least one country. (BR)
