Netflix’s uphill climb to respectability took its biggest step forward this morning with 15 Oscar nominations, 10 going to Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. All of the time and money spent was to achieve that first Best Picture nomination, and now that they have it, Netflix is ready to play with the big boys.
THR reports that Netflix is in “advanced” negotiations to join the Motion Picture Association of America, which is comprised of the 6 biggest movie studios. This would be a historic move, as Netflix may be the first non-traditional studio to become a member, and it could open the door for others to follow right behind them. Of course, none of the others throw around money quite like Netflix does.
And naturally, it’s dollars that are playing a role in all of this. The MPAA will be short one studio when the Disney/Fox deal goes through, and that will account for between $10M-$12M in annual dues they’d be missing out on. Netflix could plug up that gap, while at the same time the streaming giant gains the credibility that comes with being recognized as a legit film studio and force in the industry. Probably means we’ll start seeing some real MPAA ratings on their original movies, too.
So this is big and I expect it to go through at some point, probably very soon. Nobody can argue that Netflix is putting out the kind of crap, easily-forgotten flicks they used to. They’re now producing Best Picture contenders and attracting the biggest names in the industry. This move only makes sense and it’s likely just the beginning. Once Netflix gets its foot in the door, Amazon will follow, and so on.
