Why the Adam Sandler deal with Netflix could sink movie theaters
Netflix strikes again! Already a burgeoning titan in the world of television with original series hits such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, Netflix is now making the inevitable foray into the business of major motion picture distribution, announcing a four film deal last Wednesday with Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, giving Netflix subscribers exclusive firsthand access to the next four films released by the much beloved and equally maligned comedian.
Outside of exciting countless 12-year-olds across the globe, Sandler’s new four film deal with Netflix also offers a glimpse into what could possibly be a very different future for the film industry as we currently know it, with the potential to disrupt the Hollywood chain of command that has existed for decades and spell the end for movie theatres around the globe.
As has been the case since the golden days of Walt Disney, the distribution rights for the big-budget, blockbuster breed of movie has always gone first to the theater, where the perceived maximum profit and audience could be had. After a scheduled run in theaters, the film would then eventually be released down something like a hierarchical chain, going from DVD releases to cable television, until finally trickling down to online services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video at the bottom of the barrel, with the companies often having to wait up to 18 months after a movie’s release before being able to purchase the rights to it.
By drawing in a big name like Adam Sandler, whose movies have made a combined $3 billion at the box office and are among some of the most watched globally in the Netflix global library (12 year olds, I’m looking at you), Netflix looks to upend the current Hollywood system and move up among the upper echelon of established movie studios, much like they have already done with television. Convenience and price, two of Netflix’s biggest pulls, have already begun to do a number on the cable television industry, as the ability to binge watch whenever and wherever you want, without fear of interruption by commercials featuring disheveled Trivago men and red-headed restaurateurs, has driven many away from their television sets and onto their laptops.
And video stores such as Blockbuster, once a staple in many communities, have virtually faded into oblivion like the great Dodo birds of old. Why get out of bed or leave the house when everything you want to watch is right at your fingertips? It is this very mentality, born of the internet age, which should have Hollywood suits and theatre executives alike sweating in their pinstripes, as Netflix threatens to keep viewers out of the theatre and on their own couches. Why spend upwards of thirty dollars to watch Adam Sandler crack numerous fart jokes dressed as a woman some will say, when you can watch those same fart jokes take place from the comfort of your own home for less than half the price and effort? You wouldn’t even have to put pants on! While that may ring true, others would argue (such as myself) that a movie theatre is still an institution, where every sticky floor, obnoxiously loud laugh, and ringing cell phone is just part of an experience that just can’t be replicated anywhere else. While the recent trends in television and other forms of media are certainly telling, only time will tell how big of an impact the new deal between Netflix and Adam Sandler will actually have on the film industry and movie theatres around the globe. That being said, the only real guarantee is more fart jokes.