 netflix put a movie in theaters good luck finding it netflix put a movie in theaters good luck finding it netflix put a movie in theaters good luck finding it ffproadmin thu 11152018 1517 https static01nytcom images 20181115 arts 15netflixtheaters1 merlin1464969724120a716115e4283b16b58adaae0e281art breaking with its longheld position netflix announced in late october that it would begin releasing select movies in theaters before making them available on its streaming platform rather than on the same day but for  the ballad of buster scruggs  the new film from the coen brothers and the first title netflix is distributing this way the exclusive theatrical release was something of a mirage in the united states the movie played in just three cities new york los angeles and san francisco at a landmark theater in each and for just four days nov 8 through 11 rather than a standard week announced a little more than a week in advance the nov 8 theatrical release moved up from a simultaneous streamingandtheaters opening on nov 16 was not welladvertised on twitter moviegoers complained that the film was showing only in small auditoriums  after the opening weekend anyone looking to see the film between monday and thursday this week would have been out of luck on friday the coens film will reopen in a handful of theaters on the same day it begins streaming on netflix as for how many tickets were sold last week netflix in keeping with its past practice has not released information on box office grosses adding to the confusion the film opened on a thursday not a friday when most films are released domestically jared gores a podcaster and a documentary producer in the san francisco bay area had read the news of the sudden theatrical release but still thought the coens film was opening on friday at the embarcadero center cinema in san francisco to buy a ticket for a different movie that wednesday he happened to see that buster scruggs was listed as opening the next day it was kind of a coincidence that i happened to be looking at the right time to catch it gores said he added though that he doesn t have an issue with netflix they ve put money behind stuff that probably wouldn t get made in the first place he said to some  like the new york times s awards columnist  kyle buchanan netflix s newfound attention to theatrical distribution is a smokescreen a case of creating the appearance of an interest in theaters in order to keep a coming release alfonso cuaron s muchanticipated roma in the oscar race academy voters have so far been skeptical of rewarding netflix titles in three years of competing the company has had only one featurelength movie the documentary icarus take home a statue roma scheduled to open nov 21 will pose the next test of the sincerity of netflix s interest in theaters and also of the limitations of its release plan major chains including amc and regal have said they will not screen netflix movies as long as the company makes them available for streaming within 90 days of their theatrical release netflix has said it will release roma theatrically in more than 20 countries though the number of theaters is still unknown netflix did not respond to questions for this article the company has also said it plans presentations of roma in the rarely used 70millimeter format  a lavish and unusual treatment for a movie that was shot digitally but the number of theaters available for such presentations is limited in new york for instance 70millimeter showings of dunkirk and phantom thread played at the amc loews lincoln square but amc theaters are out in this case the alamo drafthouse chain which does not have a netflix ban will not screen roma at its 70millimetercapable downtown brooklyn theater the chain s founder tim league said in a statement that it wouldn t be showing the movie because of a variety of circumstances that include prior commitments to other studio partners he added that he was hoping to offer select screenings of the film at other locations after thanksgiving two december openings mowgli legend of the jungle a new movie version of rudyard kipling s jungle book stories with a cast that includes benedict cumberbatch and cate blanchett and bird box a thriller starring sandra bullock will also test netflix s commitment to theaters traditionally they would open in thousands of theaters not three the comedian dan telfer who also saw buster scruggs last week and recommended to others on twitter that they do the same found his exhortation was met with bafflement people hadn t realized the movie had opened my take was that they had no plan and threw this together at the last minute he said of the screening he attended in los angeles it felt like it should have been an event and wasn t telfer had a headsup on the release that most moviegoers did not a friend of his the actress thea lux had a bit part in the movie and didn t know if she had made the final cut he accompanied her and her husband to the screening seeing his friend who is indeed in the film freaking out during the screening was not an experience that would have felt as meaningful in front of a television the cool part for me was well even if it turns out she s not in this scene i m getting a rare glimpse into something that i feel like was meant to be seen in a theater he said source ny times  