Greta Gerwig bends Netflix to bring Narnia back to theatres
Greta Gerwig, director of "Barbie," a film that set new records at the box office, threatened Netflix with dropping her next project with the company if they didn't show her film in theatres. And guess what? It worked.
The project in question is a new adaptation of "The Chronicles of Narnia," based on the works of C.S. Lewis. The first film adaptation of this series began in 2005 with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," which was designed solely for theatrical release.
Netflix, however, planned to release Gerwig's film exclusively on its platform. The director insisted that the film should be shown on the big screen, even on a limited scale. She reportedly threatened to abandon the project if she didn’t get her way.
This conflict is very telling of the current state of cinematography. Since the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, cinema operators have been recording losses. Viewers now "receive" blockbuster films immediately after their theatrical debut or sometimes skip the theatre experience entirely. Viewing habits have shifted, with audiences preferring to watch films at home in the comfort of their own spaces. There are still creators, however, who want to reverse this trend.
It is also important to remember an Oscar rule: for a film to be nominated for an award, it must have a theatrical release.
Gerwig vs. Netflix 1:0
Greta managed to achieve what seemed impossible: she persuaded the VOD giant to bend its business model for her film. She certainly had a strong position for such negotiations. After all, we are talking about an artist nominated for an Oscar four times who directed a major box office success in 2023.
The film's cast is being finalized, with Saoirse Ronan, a regular collaborator with Gerwig, among the potential stars. However, Netflix or the director's team have not officially confirmed this information.
If Gerwig's "The Chronicles of Narnia" hits theatres first (with discussions of releases in the IMAX network), it will align with a new trend among streaming platforms. Films such as "Killers of the Flower Moon" by Martin Scorsese or "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" by Rian Johnson had limited theatrical releases before debuting on Apple TV+ and Netflix.
The film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is available to watch on Disney+.
