It was a double bill like no other. When Barbie and Oppenheimer graced our theatres, audiences were either skipping out of screens to the tune of “I’m Just Ken” or were rattled by Christopher Nolan’s gripping biopic and humanity’s path of self-destruction. Great times were had all around, but according to Netflix CCO Bela Bajaria, the latter would’ve had just the same impact had it been released on the streaming service instead.
Speaking to Puck’s Matthew Belloni about the film, Bajaria said, upon looking back on Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning hit, “We would have done an amazing qualifying run. So many people obviously would have watched it. It was a great movie. And I think it would have had that.”
The view from Bajara mirrors that of Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who last year shared his thoughts with The New York Times on the lighting-in-a-bottle moment that was Barbenheimer and said that the audience would’ve enjoyed it just as much at home. “Both of those movies would be great for Netflix. They definitely would have enjoyed just as big an audience on Netflix.” Sarandos added, “And so I don’t think there’s any reason to believe that certain kinds of movies do or don’t work. There’s no reason to believe that the movie itself is better in any size of screen for all people. My son’s an editor. He is 28 years old, and he watched Lawrence of Arabia on his phone.”
Over the years, revered directors have adapted to telling their stories and are willing to distribute them via streaming services. Martin Scorsese’s last two films, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon, have found homes on both Netflix and Apple TV Plus. David Fincher has also maintained a strong relationship with the Big Red N, which has housed both television shows and movies he’s written and directed. However, Nolan has consistently advocated the theatrical experience and IMAX, blowing audiences away in the theatre with his stories. Now, with his upcoming adaptation of the epic tale, The Odyssey, which has a cast so big it will need an IMAX screen to fit them (the latest addition being Mia Goth), we don’t imagine that to happen any time soon.
For now, if you’re looking for a film to stream this weekend, here are six new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more
