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Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s biopic of the legendary American atomic scientist, was one of the most acclaimed releases of 2024. The film released in proximity to Barbie, resulting in the Barbenheimer phenomenon that accelerated box office sales after theaters had suffered from a post-COVID slump.
Oppenheimer’s director, Christopher Nolan, has been very open about his preference for theatrical releases and his disdain for the streaming-first release model, to the point of releasing Tenet to low box office returns right in the middle of the COVID pandemic. But that doesn’t mean the executives of streaming services like Netflix necessarily agree. In an interview with Puck News, Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria revealed that she believed Oppenheimer would’ve been very successful launching under Netflix.
Neftlix’s CCO wanted to be the one to launch Oppenheimer
Speaking to Matt Belloni, Bela Bajaria spoke about Netflix’s recent controversy regarding the Emilia Perez film, as well as clarifying the company’s strategic direction and what Netflix’s unique selling points were.
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The topic of Oppenheimer came up when Matt mentioned that Netflix was still struggling to create impactful intellectual properties the way theatrical releases managed to. In response, Bela pointed out that most IPs rely on sequels and spin-offs to remain profitable, and completely original releases like Barbie and Oppenheimer are always a relative rarity.
This is when Matt asked if Oppenheimer would’ve been the blockbuster it was if it had launched on Netflix, and Bela said yes. Matt expressed his skepticism regarding her claims, and she pointed out how most theatrical releases never match Oppenheimer’s success, so there’s no need to believe Netflix has an innate disadvantage in this area.
Matt suggested that Netflix’s most significant successes had been when the service licensed theatrical releases and marketed them effectively. In response, Bela pointed to releases such as Red One and Red Notice, both films that attracted considerable audience attention and high viewership despite being aired on rival platforms. Aside from their marketing, one other thing they had in common was star power, with both starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Despite Matt and Bela not being completely in agreement about Netflix’s potential as a movie launchpad, their interview remained wide-ranging. Aside from the Emilia Perez controversy, the interview also covered topics such as Netflix’s upcoming investment plans and sports events such as the UFC, for which the service was trying to bid a contract.
Despite Netflix’s considerable success with serialized scripted television, the streaming service’s movie stable has been more of a mixed bag. Most films in their catalogue, such as Heart of Stone, Ava, and Red Notice, have gotten mixed to outright negative critical reception, and the service hasn’t initiated film franchises the way theatrical releases tend to do.
Nonetheless, Netflix continues to be a highly competitive and successful streaming platform, with a strong stable of original Ips viewers can enjoy.
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