Going to the cinema is an outdated concept, Netflix’s boss has claimed.
Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive of the streaming giant, said directors should stop thinking in terms of cinema audiences because most people would rather watch films at home.
He said: “Folks grew up thinking ‘I want to make movies on a gigantic screen and have strangers watch them [and have them] play in the theatre for two months and people cry and sold-out shows… It’s an outdated concept.”
The struggling global box office was a sign that people no longer wanted to go to the movies, Mr Sarandos claimed.
He said: “What does that say? What is the consumer trying to tell us? That they’d like to watch movies at home, thank you. The studios and the theatres are duking it out over trying to preserve this 45-day window that is completely out of step with the consumer experience of just loving a movie.”
Asked at the Time100 Summit in New York whether film as a communal experience was “an outmoded idea”, Sarandos replied: “I think it is. For most people, not for everybody.
“If you’re fortunate enough to live in Manhattan, and you can walk to a multiplex and see a movie, that’s fantastic. Most of the country cannot.”
He said: “I’ve tried to encourage every director we work with to focus on the consumer, focus on the fans. Make a movie that they love, and they will reward you.”
Nevertheless, the rules for the Oscars dictate that films must have at least a limited theatrical release, meaning that Netflix has shown the likes of Emilia Perez, Roma and The Irishman in cinemas.
Mr Sarandos was asked at the summit if Netflix had destroyed Hollywood. “No,” he replied, “we’re saving Hollywood.”