According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, the blockbuster movies "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" would have "enjoyed just as big an audience" on the streamer as they did in theaters. Even in a world full of depressing quotes from key figures, these words by a major figure in the world of streaming are hurtful. In a New York Times interview, Sarandos claimed his son watched the classic movie "Lawrence of Arabia" on his phone.
2 View gallery From 'Atlas' ( Photo: Netflix ) As expected from someone who is profiting, Sarandos focuses on clicks, views and new audiences. In this sense, perhaps he's right, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" would have been just as successful. However, these statements show Netflix's problem, but also something about the current state of our crumbling world.
People from Sarandos' circle in Hollywood may have loved to mock Christopher Nolan's affinity for making movies intended only for the biggest screen available. But this adherence to a cinematic vision is what brought Nolan to a place where a three-hour film cleans out the Oscar table and also approaches billion-dollar earnings. It's a cultural event.
In Sarandos' and Netflix's world, there's no such thing as "vision." There's profit. The "cultural event" is not about the quality of the product, but about the number of times people click on it.
The binge is both ingenious and toxic. Therefore, in recent years, almost every movie Netflix produces gets a budget similar to "Oppenheimer" and attracts stars on the sam.
