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Netflix Increases Its Commitment To Theatrical Releases. But Not For The Reason You Think
There is a psychological term called "selective perception," which is the process by which people notice only the things that support their point of view and literally screen out contradictory facts.
You see this play out a lot in Hollywood when it comes to Netflix. A lot of people in the industry - including reporters - have strongly held beliefs about Netflix and those feelings override everything else they read, hear or learn.
Netflix led the tech revolution that ruined Hollywood. Netflix invented short seasons and binge releases, which helped decimate Hollywood’s middle class. Netflix executives don’t believe in the full theatrical releases on movies and in fact, don’t believe the theatrical movie business should exist at all.
Now there’s nothing wrong with believing something that may not be true. Except for the fact that holding on to those mistaken ideas can lead you astray. You look at a strategic move and see what you want to see. You’re not missing the forest for the trees. You are missing the forest because you’re too busy worrying about grass.
This near-industry wide selective perception about Netflix has been in full display this week as the streamer has announced that a handful of its original films will receive a longer exclusive theatrical run than has been the norm until now.
Netflix plans to track and share box office data for six upcoming high-profile feature films:
La Bola Negra: Opens theatrically on October 16, 2026. Premieres December 2nd on Netflix
The Mosquito Bowl: Opens theatrically on October 30th, 2026. Premieres November 25th on Netflix
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth: Opens theatrically on November 25th, 2026 (including a two-week IMAX run). Premieres December 23rd on Netflix
Ink: Opens theatrically in select theaters on December 11th and on Netflix in the US and Latin America on January 8th, 2027.
Narnia: The Magician's Nephew: Opens theatrically (including on IMAX) on February 12th, 2027. It premieres April 2nd, 2027 on Netflix.
Charlie vs. The Chocolate Factory: Opens theatrically on November 5th, 2027. It will premiere December 2nd, 2027 on Netflix
Variety’s reporting of the move (with the headline “Netflix to Report Box Office Numbers for 6 Upcoming Movies as Streamer Escalates Theatrical Plans”) certainly frames the move as a change in strategy, at it includes some anonymous quotes that suggest the streamer’s attempt to acquire Warner Bros. studio as changed its philosophy about theatrical releases.
Of course, the piece also ends with this paragraph:
Those inside Netflix, per individuals with close knowledge of the company, are downplaying the significance of this theatrical flirtation. Extending big-screen runs, as the company line often goes, is part of a bespoke process where the film team decides “what’s right” for each movie.
I’ve spoken with more than a dozen people at Netflix over the past week, working on a related piece about the company’s experiential ambitions. And what I have learned is that while it is true that Netflix’s near-miss with Warner Bros. had an effect, it’s not the one people think it is.
Sources have told me that when Netflix first put its bid in for the Warner Bros. studio lot and the related experience and streaming businesses, executives expected to initially face some fierce pushback from Hollywood. What they didn’t expect was the massive, long-running string of stories in the trade press that highlighted Netflix critics.
The pieces mocked the idea that Netflix had any commitment to the theatrical business, and there was a lot of speculation—almost to the point of certainty—that a couple of years down the road, the company would shut down the Warner Bros. theatrical business entirely.
“You know who didn’t believe that?” one Netflix film executive told me. “The C-suiters at Warners. We walked them through our plans, building on what we learned after looking at their business. Keeping the studio as a full-blown studio is part of the reason why the deal was so attractive.”
I have been told by multiple executives that while there would have been some shedding of jobs when the merger took place, all of the major components of Warner Bros. would have stayed in place.
“They have a world-class studio lot, experienced and talented distribution, production and marketing teams. They had trusted, pre-existing relationships with theaters,” another exec explained to me. “We were acquiring a successful, turnkey operation that would have required a decade and billions of dollars to replicate. Critics who thought we would shut all that down are idiots and don’t understand our business.”
So why is Netflix carving out some select full-blown theatrical runs for some of its original movies? After speaking to multiple sources, the move seems to have several goals, some of them more obvious to outsiders than others.
One goal is to keep some high-level filmmakers happy by offering them a full theatrical release. “It requires some rejiggering of contracts and relying on outsiders more than we’re often comfortable with here,” I was told. “But those releases allow us to keep them happy while testing out the waters of the theatrical world.”
But the other primary reason to do these theatrical releases is a bit less obvious to outsiders at first glance.
“There’s a growing feeling here that the Paramount merger might fail. And if it does, those Warner Bros. assets are going to become available again, likely at a modest discount,” one internal analyst told me. “There are no doubt going to be complaints from critics and even efforts to block the deal. Having these high-profile theatrical releases will help with those conversations and hopefully make the process possible.”
In fact, I have heard from two different state attorney general offices that low-key, back-door conversations have already been happening about what might take place if the merger fails. “It’s nowhere near formal,” one state official told me earlier this week. “It’s more along the lines of ‘Well, this could be a solution in the future.’”
And if the Paramount merger does happen, there is always the possibility of Netflix taking a run at the Universal studio, theme park and merchandising businesses. “There are just a couple of jewels left in the industry,” one executive explained. “We can make it happen without having to rely on Middle Eastern money and loans from Dad. The question is whether the people in Hollywood who are vocal critics will be willing to see we can be great industry partners. If they will let us do so.”
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Odds & Sods
We Belong Here: The Story Of The Dream Team premieres Saturday, September 26th on OWN. Here is a first look at the trailer and here is the official logline: “The film chronicles the remarkable journey of 12 Black women who, in 2018, came together with limited practice, and an unwavering belief in one another to compete in the USA Volleyball Open National Championship. Led by NCAA champion Haley Eckerman, this group of players united and realized they were making history as the first all-Black women’s professional volleyball team. In a sport where representation was still limited, these athletes shattered expectations and made history, proving that the volleyball court can be a powerful stage for change.”
Fox Corp. said the Department of Justice is reviewing its $22 billion mega deal to buy Roku.
Brian Grubb asks the very reasonable question: Why haven’t there been more new episodes of The Muppet Show?
MS Now launched its membership program on Wednesday, a $7.99 monthly payment that aims to convert its most ardent fans into paying supporters and includes a partnership with the meditation service Calm. I’ll have a full review of the service in Friday’s newsletter.
The three-part documentary Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time premieres Friday, September 25th on NatGeo. Here is a first look at the trailer. And here is the official logline: “The documentary tells the story of endurance, ingenuity and improbable unity behind one of history's most challenging rescues ever attempted. It features never-before-seen cell phone footage filmed in the mine and includes powerful interviews with survivors, families and rescuers — some speaking publicly outside of local Chilean press for the first time — to tell the definitive story of the 69 days rescuers raced to save the trapped miners while the men underground fought to survive. Among those featured is Jeff Kofman, then ABC’s International Correspondent and the first international journalist on the scene, who reported from Chile as the rescue unfolded.”
Hulu Original Rivals season two will return with new episodes on Wednesday, November 11th, with a three-episode premiere on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S.
This Is What An Influential Critic Looks Like In 2026
Christie Boschman, aka “That Documentary Girl”
I have had a number of conversations with fellow TV critics about the importance in 2026 of being someone who can move the needle when it comes to highlighting a new show or other project. That influence used to come primarily from the publication that published your work. But with the growing collapse of entertainment web sites and the overall lack of trust most readers have about media, it’s important for critics to have their own audience. Readers who will not just read your work, but make viewing & purchasing decisions based on your recommendations.
The phrase “influencer” has a bad name, in large part because many people who describe themselves as influencers - even popular ones - have a large audience and a high visibility. But they don’t actually influence many readers.
However, the exceptions are the ones to watch and the incredibly useful Open Gardens newsletter has a profile of “That Documentary Girl,” who advises more than five million followers and subscribers what documentaries are worth watching:
People are not following Boschman because they generally like pop culture. They are there because they like documentaries and need less obvious titles to watch. That makes her recommendation unusually powerful.
Boschman has talked about posting a documentary that had been sitting quietly on transactional platforms and seeing it climb to number one on Apple TV rentals the next day. Filmmakers now lobby her directly because her support can put a film in front of millions of people who already love to watch nonfiction.
For an independent documentary, that kind of concentrated attention can be hard to come by. A trailer might reach a larger random audience and do very little. Boschman can talk about a film to a smaller but far more relevant group and suddenly people are renting it, discussing it, and sending it to friends.
That Documentary Girl has become a curator in the typical sense of the word. Her followers trust in her taste and vision of non fiction works.
That’s why it is nearly impossible for a TV critic to build a successful newsletter built around writing about broadcast TV shows and high-profile streaming projects.
A lot of people are covering those shows, and even if you are motivating people to watch something, there is no way to illustrate your influence, given the noise created by everyone else’s coverage.
Adding coverage of a more niche genre helps make your newsletter influential in that space. And it provides readers another reason to subscribe.
What’s Coming Tonight And Tomorrow
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2026:
A Killer Story (HBO)
Call My Agent! The Movie (Netflix)
CBS Fall First Look 2026 (CBS)
Colin From Accounts Season Three Premiere (Paramount+)
Cooper & Fry Series Premiere (BritBox)
Crew Girl (Netflix)
Death And Mystery In The Amazon (HBO Max)
Project Runway Season Twenty Two Finale (Freeform)
The Perfect Lie Series Premiere (Netflix)
The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives Season Five Premiere (Hulu)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2026:
Daughters Of 9/11 (CBS)
El Juicio Series Premiere (Prime Video)
Go Team! (Netflix)
9/11 Tribute in Light: Live From Lower Manhattan (ABC/NatGeo)
9/11: We Remember (CBS)
102 Minutes Inside The Towers (History)
Physical 100: Italy Series Premiere (Netflix)
Stolen Heartbeats Series Premiere (Netflix)