Netflix
Why Summer Blockbusters Won’t Ever Go Straight to VOD
Blockbuster Month is celebrating the true titans of the genre. All month long, you’ll read through a variety of features digging deep into the greatest hits of Hollywood, from popcorn classics to underrated gems. Today, Josh Spiegel debates whether the blockbuster will ever eschew the theater experience and go straight to our living rooms. Back at the end of March — remember March? Like, even the concept of the month of March? — my wife informed me that our sister-in-law was being proactive. She was starting an online petition regarding an issue about which she felt passionate. Was it related to the dearth of Covid-19 testing throughout the country? Staggered school re-openings in her state or others in the Union? No, she had begun a petition to exhort the Walt Disney Company to release Mu...
What’s Streaming on Netflix in August 2020
Netflix is getting prehistoric in August 2020. The first three Jurassic Park films are stomping over to the streaming giant, leaving the newly minted confines of Peacock only 17 days after launching. That kind of coup would impress even the likes of Ian Malcolm. That’s not all! Those flicks join an onslaught of legitimate popcorn classics in The Addams Family, The NeverEnding Story, Mad Max, A Knight’s Tale, and Seabiscuit. Okay, maybe that last one is more wine and cheese than buttered popcorn… Hey, speaking of the wine and cheese crowd, Netflix is also bringing some high class cerebral fare. There’s An Education, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and one of our personal favorites in Nightcrawer. In terms of originals, Netflix’s premiering a ton of documentaries...
Jurassic Park Movies Heading to Netflix in August
Life finds a way, and so do blockbusters. According to Variety, the original Jurassic Park trilogy is battering down the fences and stomping over to Netflix in August. Like those birds at the end of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 original, the series is flocking away from NBCUniversal’s Peacock after only 17 days, making it quite a coup for Netflix. It’s also just downright timely. After all, Jurassic Park has been back in the box office, thanks to repertory screenings at drive-ins across America. What’s more, Consequence of Sound just named it the single greatest summer blockbuster of all time. As this writer wrote in his glowing blurb: Decades later, and hyperbole be damned, Jurassic Park remains the standard for comparison. It’s in the DNA. This is a blockbuster about creating a blockbust...
Netflix Drops The Official Trailer For Sam Jay’s ‘3 In The Morning’
Source: Netflix / Netflix Saturday Night Live writer Sam Jay is coming to Netflix with her own special and we are here for it. Source: Netflix / Netflix The hilarious queer comedian, who’s earned her comedy stripes by garnering an Emmy nod for her writing for the iconic late-night comedy showcase, is showcasing her own talent with her first-ever hourlong comedy special, 3 In The Morning. Filmed prior to the pandemic, the Netflix special features the Boston-bred comedian delivers the witty, candid, and raw style of comedy that is perfect for the current sociopolitical climate. “With everything that’s going on it’s hard to laugh at anything these days and I get that,” Jay said in a statement. “I just hope this special provides a little break from the insanity.” Breaking the news to fans, Sam...
Mo’Nique Discrimination Lawsuit Against Netflix Moving Forward
Source: Victoria McGraw @victoriasaidit / Radio 1 Digital Mo’Nique has been given the green light to do battle on that hill. A judge has allowed the Oscar-winning actress and comedienne to proceed with her discrimination lawsuit against Netflix. In case you forgot, back in 2018, Mo’Nique got big mad when she felt that Netflix was short-changing her when it came to paying her for a comedy special. Not many people were checking for a boycott of their beloved Netflix, but she went ahead and sued the streaming service anyway for racial and gender discrimination. Mo’Nique, born Monique Hicks, claims Netflix offered her $500,000 for a Netflix comedy special in 2017. When she balked and wanted more dough, she says they didn’t even bother to counter-offer. According to her lawsuit, that isn’t stan...
The Russo Brothers Cast Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in The Gray Man for Netflix
Marvel Cinematic Universe directors The Russo Brothers are bringing their talents back to the real world. And they aren’t doing it cheaply: The Hollywood duo has teamed up with Netflix for the platform’s most expensive film, The Gray Man. What’s more, the brothers have brought on both Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans for the starring roles. As Deadline reports, Joe Russo will provide a script based on Mark Greaney’s 2009 novel of the same name. The Gray Man focuses on ex-CIA operative Court Gentry, a.k.a. “The Gray Man” (Gosling), and his efforts to elude capture by a former co-worker Lloyd Hansen (Evans). Netflix is providing the Avengers directors with a substantial production budget of approximately $200 million dollars (!). The company hopes that the action-packed Gray Man will s...
Netflix adds another 10 million subscribers
Getty Images Netflix is still growing as people continue to shelter in place around the country, but the company is now seeing the slowed subscriber growth executives predicted would arrive three months ago. On top of announcing that longtime chief content officer Ted Sarandos would join CEO Reed Hastings as co-CEO, the company made a few impressive announcements. Netflix added 10.2 million subscribers in its second quarter, beating the company’s own estimates that it made in its first quarter, which suggested it could add around 7.5 million. Netflix noted that it added 26 million paid new subscribers in the first two quarters of 2020 alone; in 2019, the company added 28 million subscribers in total. The company’s revenue grew 25 percent year over year, but missed its revenue goals for the...
Bird Box Sequel in the Works at Netflix
Bird Box was the last type of movie that should be a hit during the holidays, and yet the post-apocalyptic flick was a Christmastime smash for Netflix back in 2018. Now, it looks like the streaming giant is eager to recreate that magic. According to Inverse, Netflix is already working on a Bird Box sequel. In a new interview with Josh Malerman, the author behind the sci-fi thriller novel that the movie adapted, he revealed that a follow-up to Bird Box sequel is currently “in development.” Technically, the new film is based on his upcoming book, Malorie, which takes its name from Sandra Bullock’s character and is a follow-up to the original novel, but Malerman isn’t sure if Bullock will return to play a role in the new film. “I can’t say much, but I can say that it is in developme...
Netflix to Adapt Stephen King Short Story “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” as Feature Film
Mere weeks after Stephen King released his new novellas collection, If It Bleeds, prolific producers Ryan Murphy and Jason Blum have already called dibs on “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”, a short story from the book. According to The Hollywood Reporter, their feature film adaptation is being created in partnership with Netflix. Things are coming together quickly it seems. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, Saving Mr. Banks) has already been tapped to write and direct. In addition to Murphy and Blum, Carla Hacken will serve as a producer. Plus, Blumhouse Television’s Marci Wiseman and Jeremy Gold have joined as executive producers, too. For those who have yet to read the story, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows a young boy who befriends an aging billionaire who lives in his small-town neighborhood afte...
John Mulaney Returns to Comedy Central for Two New Specials
John Mulaney is officially returning to Comedy Central for two new specials. Headlined and executive produced by Mulaney himself, both specials will be continuations of John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch, his Netflix special released last December. That 2019 children’s musical comedy project was inspired by TV classics like Sesame Street and boasted cameos from David Byrne, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natasha Lyonne, and more. A press statement teases that one of the two upcoming Comedy Central specials will be holiday-themed and “will reunite the cast from the original” Sack Lunch Bunch, so be prepared to again see Byrne running fun science experiments. For Mulaney, these new projects mark his first for Comedy Central in eight years. His last release for the TV network was New in Town back...
Michaela Coel Turned Down $1M Netflix Deal Over Attempted Copyright Jig
Source: Karwai Tang / Getty Chewing Gum star Michaela Coel may have gained her cross over success thanks to Netflix, but after the deal surrounding her new series, I May Destroy You, left her at a disadvantage the British star is explaining why both BBC and HBO are now the series’ new home. During an interview with Vulture, Michaela Coel details why the partnership with Netflix ended after the launch of her new show due to the negotiation for placement leaving her with no rights to the show. Recalling a conversation she had asking Netflix if she could keep at least five percent, Michaela said: “There was just silence on the phone. And [the senior development executive at Netflix] said, ‘It’s not how we do things here. Nobody does that, it’s not a big deal.’ I said,...
Supermarket Sweep is Now on Netflix
It’s time to go wild in the grocery aisles. Starting today, a handful of episodes from the 1993 season of Supermarket Sweep are now available to stream on Netflix. A few hours ago, the streaming giant broke the news via social media. “I don’t know who needs to hear this,” the company tweeted, “but 15 episodes of the iconic Supermarket Sweep are now on Netflix in The US.” Supermarket Sweep originally aired on ABC from 1965 to 1967. It was then picked back up on Lifetime from 1990 to 1995, and again for PAX TV from 2000 to 2003. There’s perhaps no better time to watch strangers run through a grocery store grabbing armfuls of produce and snacks than now, during the coronavirus pandemic, when picking up food for the week feels chaotic and thrilling in a very different way. Editors’ Picks...
