Richard Rushfield goes away for two weeks... and although the world is still turning, things are not all the same: Netflix is in the theatrical movie business.
Not only that, Netflix had the number one movie in theaters this weekend. Yes, KPop Demon Hunters beat out Weapons and Freakier Friday with an estimated $18 million haul for the sing-along version of the animated sensation. So is Netflix finally going all-in on theatrical? Don’t get your hopes up. “This is going to kick off the dance you always have,” says Richard, noting the Netflix theatrical conversation is nothing new. What he thinks Netflix’s answer will be this time around is simple: “Thanks for giving us a place to hold our sing-alongs, but we’re good.”
A larger, more worrying theatrical trend than Netflix’s purported insurgence is the issue of international audiences. All five of the biggest recent films — Weapons, Freakier Friday, Fantastic Four, Superman and The Naked Gun — have grossed more in the U.S. than abroad. “That’s comedy, horror, a Marvel movie,” Sean McNulty notes — and so it’s reason enough to begin fretting.
“I think we are going to be talking in a few months about foreign audiences turning away from American films — maybe not wholesale giving up on them, but sort of casting a pall over them,” Richard says.
Elsewhere, and on a lighter note, in today’s Monday Morning QBs: Richard’s high hopes for the grassroots-fueled The Toxic Avenger; where this weekend’s unofficial summer finale will leave the 2024 vs. 2025 comp (hint: not good); and can Jaws’ 50th anniversary ignite some box office heat?
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