Paul Schrader Doesn’t Hate The Netflix Model Like Steven Spielberg, But He Thinks He Has A Solution To The Issue
By Chris Evangelista/March 7, 2019 12:00 pm EST
Netflix has evolved into a powerful film distributor, and even scooped up some Oscars with their recent release Roma. But not everyone is happy about this. Steven Spielberg in particular seems to be furious that the streaming giant has grown so large, particularly because he hates their release model. While Netflix does release films theatrically from time to time, they primarily use a straight-to-streaming platform that angers people who consider the theatrical experience to be sacred. People like Spielberg.
But not everyone agrees. Paul Schrader, the talented and constantly grumbly filmmaker behind First Reformed, recently offered up a nuanced take on the matter. On his Facebook Page, Schrader wrote:
Hey everyone, Paul Schrader is right! However, Schrader is also happy that a distributor like A24 snapped up First Reformed, instead of Netflix:
I have no animus against Netflix. Ted Sarandos is as smart about film as any studio exec I’ve ever met. Distribution models evolve. The notion of squeezing 200+ people into a dark unventilated space to see a flickering image was created by exhibition economics not any notion of the ’theatrical experience.’ Netflix allows many financially marginal films to have a platform and that’s a good thing.
Would the folks so furious about Netflix’s model go for this? I don’t know. But Schrader’s take is the most level-headed I’ve seen so far.
