Netflix has managed to attract major filmmakers in recent years. These big names often held on to a cinema release in addition to streaming. There was room for this under former film chief Scott Stuber and we saw, among other things Roma (2018), Frankenstein (2025) in The Irishman (2019) debut in theaters. However, successor Dan Lin sees no point in this and takes a harder line. The streaming service seems to be refraining from collaborations with top stars such as Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino or Denis Villeneuve for the time being.
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Lin seems to put an end to the idea that Netflix must adapt to filmmakers who require a traditional cinema release. In doing so, the company distances itself from the approach of former film chief Scott Stuber, who tried to build a bridge between big Hollywood and streaming.
There is a group of filmmakers who still want a theatrical release. These are filmmakers that we have accepted that we simply will not work with.
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Is Lin strong enough?
The question behind Lin’s strategy is who ultimately has the most negotiating power. For many directors, Netflix is an attractive partner because of its budgets and creative freedom, but things are different for the absolute top of Hollywood. Filmmakers like Nolan or Spielberg do not need a streaming service to get their projects financed and can choose from several studios that do guarantee a worldwide theatrical release. Although Spielberg’s production company Amblin Partners has entered into an agreement to produce some films for Netflix, Spielberg has repeatedly made it clear that in his view, films that skip the traditional theatrical release are in fact television films and therefore should not compete for major awards. This runs the risk that Lin presents himself as someone who rejects major filmmakers, while those filmmakers themselves would never have seriously considered working with Netflix without strong cinema guarantees. The coming years will reveal whether Netflix is acting independently or missing out on talent.
