James Cameron, the filmmaker behind Titanic, Avatar, and The Terminator, recently shared his thoughts on Netflix movies and the Oscars, sparking debate among movie lovers.
Cameron says Netflix shouldn’t try to compete for Oscars the way traditional films do. He explained that a movie really becomes Oscar-eligible only after a month-long run in about 2,000 theaters. Netflix often releases its films in theaters for just a week or two, which Cameron thinks doesn’t count as a proper release.
He said, “The Oscars mean nothing to me if they don’t mean theatrical. Netflix should be allowed to compete if they put the movie out for a meaningful release in 2,000 theaters for a month.”
Cameron also weighed in on Netflix’s potential acquisition of Warner Bros. He believes that Paramount would be a better fit and thinks Netflix owning Warner Bros. could be a disaster.
Netflix’s CEO has called theatrical releases outdated. While the platform has made movies more accessible, Cameron and other traditional filmmakers feel this threatens the experience of watching films in theaters. Some directors support Netflix’s approach, but Cameron wants audiences to value the big-screen experience the way they used to.
This debate raises a bigger question: Should streaming films be judged the same way as traditional theatrical releases, or is the cinema experience irreplaceable?
