A series of high-profile director exits makes it seem like the streamer is rethinking its strategy for success.
A series of high-profile director exits makes it seem like the streamer is rethinking its strategy for success.
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is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.
Many of Netflix’s biggest critically acclaimed hits have been the products of its multiyear production deals with noted directors like David Fincher and Shawn Levy. In the past few weeks, though, the streamer has brought some of those partnerships to an end in a way that feels indicative of a larger strategic shift. With rival studios Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on
that will reshape the entertainment landscape, Netflix is clearly thinking about how it can continue to hold its own in
. But as the company charts its path forward, its plan to court subscribers might not put so much emphasis on big-name moviemakers.
On Thursday, Netflix shared that its production deal with David Fincher is coming to an end after six years. First
, the partnership — which was originally scheduled to last for four years — gave Netflix the exclusive streaming rights to Fincher’s then-upcoming projects like his Herman J. Mankiewicz biographical drama,
. With Fincher having previously executive produced original series for Netflix like
, the deal seemed to be a sign of Netflix having faith in his ability to keep audiences riveted.
’s critical reception and box office performance before it began streaming would determine what kinds of projects Netflix would let him make. Critics generally praised the film and it was ultimately nominated for 10 Academy Awards — two of which it won. But during
’s three-week theatrical run, it only made around $100,000 against a $25 million budget, and once it hit Netflix, it only managed to spend a single day on the streamer’s list of its top 10 most-watched movies (in last place). Though Fincher’s next project for Netflix — 2023’s
, the project’s $452,000 box office gross against a $175 million budget made it another financial dud. And with
set to show in theaters for two weeks before it hits Netflix on December 23rd, the film could be another example of Fincher delivering a movie that isn’t exactly a huge monetary win for the streamer.
Fincher’s track record with Netflix is somewhat similar to director Shawn Levy’s. After
of working exclusively with the streamer on projects including
. Levy — whose directing career began with a number of Disney Channel series — framed his decision to leave Netflix as a kind of homecoming. But it was hard not to see his jumping ship as having been prompted by the way
’ final season left audiences and critics disappointed.
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that they were leaving Netflix for a four-year TV / film production deal with Paramount. The brothers could still have a hand in future
, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said that Levy’s and the Duffer Brothers’ departures were driven by the filmmakers’ desire to spend more time working on feature-length projects. Levy’s
is slated to premiere next May, and the Duffers’ untitled Paramount film will
. Though Sarandos framed the filmmakers’ exits in a positive light, they’re part of a larger trend that makes it seem like Netflix is moving on from its era of signing filmmakers to lengthy deals. The company has
writer-director Noah Baumbach, whose other Netflix projects, like
as a proper event that will spend seven weeks in theaters before it begins streaming. And while Rian Johnson is taking a break after fulfilling the obligations of
Going forward, it seems like Netflix’s main game plan is to put an increased focus on producing lower-budget series, live events, and sports programming. The company obviously isn’t giving up on movies — Gerwig will direct another
to be much more effective at keeping subscribers coming back.
This is why we’ve recently seen Netflix hyping up strange reality shows like
None of those shows exactly come across as must-see TV like
. But that may not matter to Netflix as long as people are watching. After years of spending millions of dollars to produce movies that did not always result in consistent subscriber growth, Netflix appears to be entering a period of making more conservative bets. That might make the service feel a little less premium than it has in the past, but it could help it live to fight another day.
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