Netflix reportedly wants the plot for a movie reiterated in dialogue three or four times to accommodate the home viewers who are on their phone. This comes after reports that Netflix’s looking at just 17-day theatrical releases.
Promoting their new film, The Rip, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck took to the Joe Rogan Experience, going down the rabbit hole of how different it is watching a film at home compared to on a streaming service. He likened going to a theater like church, as you go at a specific time and it doesn’t wait for you.
With streaming services taking over the industry, this has kind of changed how films are made, with Damon claiming Netflix wants the film’s plot reiterated multiple times for the people who are on their phones while watching. He naturally believes this will hinder how stories are told.
“Now, [Netflix is] like, ‘Can we get a big one in the first five minutes?’ We want people to stay tuned in. And it wouldn’t be terrible if you reiterated the plot three or four times in the dialogue because people are on their phones while they’re watching.”
Now, Affleck doesn’t believe this is an “existential threat,” as people will still go to theaters for the experience of going to theaters, pointing out the rise of TV led to a slowdown of theater-goers, but it never totally stopped.
