Nicole Sperling

You spend two to three years making the movie, you spend this much to market, you can know on Saturday morning if you're dead in the water and the movie's been deemed either a hit or a failure.

It happens that quickly.

It's like gambling with ridiculous odds.

I'm also a lover of the theatrical experience, but as a business proposition, it's not a great idea.

On the flip side, though, that is the way to create cultural conversation.

It's the way to make something last for a long period of time.

You can go out and ask lots of people what their favorite Netflix movie is,

I don't think anyone has a real answer.

You can go out and ask people what their favorite Disney movie is, or you can ask them what their favorite movie was they saw in theaters last year.

And even if you don't see it in theaters, you know that Barbie was on 3,000 screens and was a huge deal, and then you at some point will find that movie.

That whole cultural conversation really starts in the movie theater.

And while it is completely inefficient, it's kind of the way it's been working all this time.

Yeah, that's the argument Netflix is making, that that's what they will provide consumers is a cheaper price.

Whether or not that's true, you know, prices keep going up.

They keep raising prices on consumers.

So, you know, they may start with it lower and then that price may rise.

It wouldn't be the first time we've seen that happen.

Exactly.

Yes, I mean, that is Netflix's argument.

According to Nielsen, you know, they're sixth when it comes to total TV watching.