The latest on “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,” starring Brad Pitt, written by Quentin Tarantino, and directed by David Fincher, is that it’s getting an unusually restricted theatrical release.
According to EmpireCity Box Office, Netflix has given the film an IMAX-exclusive release, with no standard-format or competing premium large-format (PLF) screenings permitted. That would leave the movie playing at only around 350 U.S. locations, maybe fewer, despite its high-profile creative team.
So this is Netflix doing the bare minimum theatrically, and only because the movie inherited IMAX screens that had originally been intended for Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ after that film was delayed.
Netflix is effectively sacrificing potential box-office revenue and audience exposure in favor of its streaming-first business model. Hey, Netflix’s incentives are different from those of traditional studios: maximizing theatrical grosses isn’t necessarily the company’s primary objective when the eventual destination is Netflix.
There is also the question of whether audiences will even seek out an IMAX screen for a film that isn’t obviously dependent on giant-scale visuals or spectacle.
And don’t worry, Fincher won’t be pushing Netflix for his film to gain screens beyond IMAX. He reportedly wasn’t particularly interested in theatrical distribution in the first place, and the theatrical release only materialized because of the ‘Narnia’ delay.
The irony is that ‘Cliff Booth’ has the ingredients of a major cinematic event—Pitt + Tarantino + Fincher—yet its U.S. theatrical footprint could be smaller than that of many ordinary wide releases. The reported plan is an exclusive two-week IMAX run beginning November 25, followed by Netflix on December 23.
Turner will play an 80-year-old Jewish woman who falls for her much younger Trinidadian aide in Florida, "experiencing a love that transcends all differences." Yep, sounds like a Todd Solondz movie.