How Will Adam Sandler Impact the Future of Netflix?
Recently, Netflix announced that it has signed a deal with popular funnyman Adam Sandler that will allow him to produce and star in four movies that will then be available exclusively through the company. As The Verge notes, Sandler’s company Happy Madison Productions will team up with Netflix for each of the four movies.
As Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, told Hollywood Reporter, the company decided to reach out to Sandler because they know he has a huge, universal appeal. Sandler’s movies that did not perform as well in the United States did exceptionally well overseas. Since Netflix is becoming more of an international company as time goes by, Sarandos explains working with Sandler was an obvious—and hopefully very lucrative—choice.
As it turns out, the Sandler announcement was not the only news Netflix made recently regarding movies. Netflix is also launching deals with Imax and the Weinstein Co. to finance and release a sequel to the immensely popular martial arts movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
Looking at the Bigger Picture
Netflix’s decision to team up with Sandler, Imax and Weinstein Co. may have more to it than meets the eye. As Variety notes, the growing company has already changed the way people watch TV by offering an expansive selection of shows that people can watch whenever and wherever they want. Netflix is now such a household name in regards to television shows, it even comes as a standard feature on Xbox One systems that are available at major retailers like Walmart.
The recent announcement regarding Sandler and the other companies also seems to indicate that Netflix is now ready to change the way people watch movies, and that it intends to take on the film industry and the way movies are typically distributed.
For years, the movie industry has been based on a very clear and definite set of rules regarding things like when new movies will be released in theaters, when they will be sold as home videos on DVD and Blu-Ray, when they will appear on television, and when they might appear online. With the exception of some movies that are given the almost stigmatized description of “straight to home video,” the vast majority of new films are only initially available to the viewing public in traditional theaters.
Audience Expectations Are Changing
In a world where people watch what they want, when they want it, most movie fans could really care less about the old standard Hollywood rules and standards for movies. Consumers don’t necessarily feel they should be limited to seeing the newest blockbuster at the theater at the mall, and might be just as happy to watch it on their tablet or TV.
By working with Netflix and offering his four new movies directly to their customers and bypassing the movie theaters and the rest of the new-release schedule, Sandler, Imax and Weinstein Co. may end up having an interesting impact on the economics of the industry. In addition to missing out on ticket sales, the Netflix streaming option may lower the revenues and essentially disrupt the traditional system of movie-related revenue.
Although official release dates have not been mentioned yet, the first of the four Sandler movies is expected to be available on Netflix sometime in 2015. For movie buffs and fans of Sandler, it will be interesting to watch and see if his name recognition will boost sales of Netflix subscriptions, and how his straight-to-streaming work may impact the traditional movie industry.