Streaming video just isn’t enough for Netflix. The entertainment company’s first feature film was released on Friday, not only for viewers online but also in local theaters.
But the move is angering some movie theater owners, according to Wired. The leading movie chains AMC, Regal, and Cinemark say they won’t show the Netflix production, in response to the competition the streaming service offers to their business.
The theater owners are also upset about the simultaneous release of the film online with the theatrical release. Typically, feature films have about ninety days to run in theaters before viewers can find the film online.
Without exclusive access, movie theater owners say they have no incentive to spend money for marketing and holding theater space for a movie that viewers can see from home. The owners are also unhappy that Netflix did not discuss their plans for a simultaneous release, but rather they found about it through a Netflix press release.
Netflix has been wildly successful with its television productions, garnering 34 Emmy nominations for its slate of original programs this year alone. The company is hoping for similar artistic and commercial success with its upcoming roster of original feature movies.
The Netflix movie, called “Beasts of No Nation,” stars former “The Wire” star Idris Elba as a soldier leading a mercenary army in a civil war in an unnamed African nation. Previews have been well received with Oscar buzz for the star and director Cary Fukunaga, best known for TV’s “True Detective.”