Before the Internet, which allows for both the
streaming and pirating of movies, most of the film industry expected viewers to
see the movie in a theater, buy/rent the movie, or see it on a television
channel. This system was simple and predictable, as there wasn’t any other way
for a person to see the movie otherwise.
Nowadays, there are many other factors that affect how much
money a movie can make in its lifetime. First off, movies can be sold
“digitally”, which allows viewers to pay for the movie and watch it on any of
the capable devices. This works well, as it can be sold for a relatively high
price since it is super convenient for a viewer to buy and see the movie. Also, if the viewer wants, they can illegally
download the video on the internet. Since this process is so easy to do,
sometimes even easier than buying the movie, pirating software is a popular
method for viewing movies.
Between both buying the digital copy and stealing it from
the internet, is streaming the video from a site like Netflix. Netflix, which
gets their movies and TV shows from the production companies, asks users to pay
a monthly fee to get access to all of their streaming service. At its current
state, Netflix has a good selection of a wide variety of movies and tv shows,
but doesn’t include everything. By example, most of the newer films take some time
before they become part of the Netflix catalog. With this in mind, how does a
company like Netflix continue to keep users, without feeling like they are “behind”
the real film industry?
In
this New York Times article, it was reported that Adam Sandler will be
creating four films exclusively for the Netflix streaming service. Even though
this is not unusual, as Netflix has already begun with its own exclusive
content (House of Cards and Orange is the New Black), it has never grabbed a
Hollywood celebrity as popular as Adam Sandler.
Even though Adam’s movies aren’t as popular as they used to be, it is
still an opportunity to get Netflix to be seen as a real contender and not just
a child of the film industry.
The “oddest” part of this whole process, is that Netflix is
sort of “biting the hand” of the film industry by trying to steal actors and
directors from them. With this in mind, this sort of technology is so convenient
for viewers, that it is surely possible that people will spend less time at the
movies and more time at home. Should the film industry keep their own exclusive
movies and make sure Netflix doesn’t get full control? In my opinion, I feel
that the film industry should be moving away from selling their movies through
things like Google Play and iTunes. These markets are successful, but may not
be something that can hold its own forever. Instead, movies should be released
in movie theaters first and will appear on Netflix as soon as the movie leaves
theaters. This may lead to less movies appearing in theaters, but maybe it is
time to let that era end.
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