Entertainment
James Cameron’s Anti-Netflix Plan Will Be A Complete Disaster
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Since 2019, Netflix has been receiving Academy Award consideration for its films despite the fact that they are almost entirely streamed. To earn consideration, the streamer usually releases these films into theaters for the exact minimum number of days required by the Academy.
Avatar director James Cameron recently opined that Netflix films shouldn’t receive Oscar consideration unless they are in at least 2,000 theaters for at least one month, but his plan would be a complete disaster because it would bar many non-Netflix films from competing with bigger and better-funded movies.
Throwing Down The Gauntlet
Cameron dropped his white-hot take on The Town with Matthew Belloni podcast, declaring that “the Academy Awards mean nothing to me if they don’t mean theatrical.” Saying that the Academy has been “co-opted, and I think it’s horrific,” Cameron went on to outline what he saw as a fair compromise for Netflix if the streamer wants its films to be eligible for Academy Awards. “They should be allowed to compete if they put the movie out for a meaningful release in 2,000 theaters for a month.”
At first glance, this may sound like a great idea, especially for those who love going to the theater. The theatrical industry has suffered greatly in recent years, and as James Cameron pointed out in the podcast, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos went on record saying that “Theatrical is dead.” Many consider this and other streaming services to be responsible for dwindling box office numbers, so it only seems fair to require Netflix movies to have a robust theatrical presence if they want to compete with other films for Academy Awards.
Punishing The Indies
However, if Cameron’s idea becomes an actual Academy requirement, it would have to apply to all films and not just those from Netflix. That means that any movie that wanted to potentially earn an Oscar would have to be in at least 2,000 theaters for at least one month. This would, simply put, bar the vast majority of indie films (which usually get shorter runs in fewer theaters) from ever earning an Oscar.
Plus, whether or not Netflix is truly to blame, the fact remains that fewer people are going to the movies these days than they once did. Heck, October had the lowest box office earnings that Hollywood has seen in three decades. When a movie (even a good movie) underperforms, it gets yanked out of theaters, making it increasingly difficult for a theatrical run to last at least one month.
A Perfect Storm
This creates a kind of perfect storm that reveals how Cameron’s plan would actually screw over plenty of smaller films. Historically, some of these smaller films really impressed Academy voters: previous Best Picture winner Moonlight, for example, played in just over 1,500 theaters, far lower than Cameron’s 2,000-theater mark. Another Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave, would have been disqualified by Cameron because it “only” showed in a little over 1,100 theaters during its run.
Under Cameron’s system, the movies most likely to earn Academy Award consideration would be well-funded films like (no surprise here) his own Avatar movies. Plus, we already live in a world where almost every movie is a sequel, prequel, or remake. Do we really want to make things worse by ensuring that it’s mostly major franchises (like, God help us, the Marvel Cinematic Universe) can compete for Hollywood’s greatest awards?
I’m a lifelong fanboy of James Cameron, and I genuinely think he’s one of the most visionary directors in Hollywood, but his Oscars proposal is completely bonkers. It would punish smaller filmmakers and simply elevate his own films, all while targeting a company rich enough to work around any theatrical requirements. While it’s hardly perfect, it would be far simpler to keep the current Academy system, where any good movie (yes, even from streamers that mostly serve slop) can compete for titles like Best Picture.
