New Netflix Plan: Producing Less Bad Movies

Overall, Netflix movies are not very good. They have released a number of films by prestigious directors over the years (I think of films by Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, the Coen Brothers, and Richard Linklater), but when it comes to the average viewing experience on the platform, those films tend to be extremely hit or miss. Most of the time, films produced by this streaming powerhouse are low-budget, poorly written, barely entertaining pieces that work better as background noise for household chores than as enjoyable cinematic experiences you actually want to watch.

However, according to a new report by Bloomberg, the streaming platform has a new plan to change all that. The new strategy is as follows: produce fewer films so that the films being produced are not bad. Dan Lin, head of Netflix’s film division, is trying to get rid of the platform’s content mill model, planning to reduce the annual production output to 25 to 30 films per year (the current output of the company is around 50 films per year). The streaming service still plans to release what it calls a “tentpole feature” (read: big-budget) once every three months, although the overall goal is to keep “costs under control” at the company.

Bloomberg wrote that in order to execute this vision, Lin “restructured Netflix’s film division” by cutting some staff positions while refocusing others. Under this new system, individual executives are now responsible for specific types of content, allowing for a tighter focus on certain types of content:

“Ori Marmur oversees action and sci-fi, while Nina Wijklingdal handles religious projects, holidays, and youth food. Kira Goldberg handles drama and thrillers. Lin also appointed two veteran studio executives in Doug Belgrad and Hannah Minghella, both of whom previously worked at Sony, to help manage the slate.”

This is certainly a change. Before Lin, Netflix’s film division was helmed by an executive named Scott Stuber, who, as Variety magazine says, had one clear directive: “quantity over quality.” In the six years Stuber oversaw Netflix’s film strategy, the streaming giant produced a real tsunami of films, some good but many incredibly bad. Stuber left Netflix in March to pursue his career in film production, paving the way for Lin to take the helm and begin changing the company’s comprehensive content strategy.

Does this mean Netflix will stop greenlighting things like Tall Girl 2 and Hubby Halloween and start producing fare that better resembles Hollywood films of years past? That’s unclear. I personally prefer Netflix doesn’t exist at all, as it would allow all the attention, investment, and talent currently stored by the streaming powers-that-be to be directed toward traditional filmmaking. However, as long as Netflix is around and continues to dominate the entertainment industry, it certainly would be great if the majority of films it produces were watchable rather than unwatchable.