Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos Doesn't Regret Glass Onion's Lost Box Office Potential

Never before has the movie-watching experience been as fragmented as it is today. As much as theaters remain the lifeblood of the film industry, more and more studios are realizing the potential for profit recoupment through streaming. Of course, some have managed to figure out that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. If Warner Bros. and HBO Max are something to say, so it's fair to say that successful theatrical marketing campaigns can then lead to equally successful streaming numbers - for example, "The Batman".

But Netflix, unsurprisingly, has other ideas. Clearly, cinemas are inherently the streaming service's main rival, which has historically only conceded cinema windows when it qualifies Netflix Originals as award contenders. So with that in mind, it makes sense that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos would say the following about "Glass Onion" and its limited theatrical run:

“I think what you saw was very exciting. We generated a ton of buzz with this theatrical release, and we created a lot of demand and that demand which we met on our subscription service Our core business is making movies for our members to watch on Netflix, and that's what we're really focused on. Everything else is really a tactic to build excitement around those movies."

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Using such an obviously capitalistic term as "tactical" might be the kind of subtlety that Miles Bron would fully approve of, but I guess we have to recognize the honesty? In any case, it goes without saying that Netflix has not devoted exorbitant resources to "Glass Onion" and its future sequel for the benefit of theaters. It's quite a ploy to suck in as many subscribers as possible, for better or for worse.

"Glass Onion" is currently streaming — elsewhere — on Netflix.