We live in what is both an amazing and awful time for content creation. With so many platforms available that both create and display content, there’s definitely not a shortage of movies out there these days. However, with so much stuff watchable, not everything is gonna get watched. One of Netflix’s recent big-name flicks, Triple Frontier, apparently failed spectacularly enough that the OG streaming site is now going to be investing much less in future original creations.
The film, starring Ben Affleck and Oscar Issac, reportedly cost $115 million to make. J.C. Chandor, the director, had previously put out good flicks like Margin Call and A Most Violent Year. Granted, none of his past features really generated any money at the box office, and that trend continued into his streaming career.
Triple Frontier was watched in 52 million households during its debut month of April, which, I guess, is wildly under expectations. Now the streaming giant will greenlight pics based more on watchability than industry credit. Oscars are overrated anyway, right?
This strategy, unfortunately, really does make sense from a business perspective. Chandor’s previous films leaned more into the artistic realm of cinema, with his last feature, All Is Lost, featuring Robert Redford alone on a boat for two hours. Riveting. Dumb garbage like Bright and Bird Box, however, were considered major hits for Netflix. So get ready for more brainless trash. Not to say Triple Frontier broke new ground or anything, but, I dunno, at least it tried something.
Is this going to change the future of Netflix’s slate of original programming entirely? Well, it’s still way too early to tell, but I’m not expecting the best. Personally, most of Netflix’s original films are pretty mediocre, with a lot of them seeming quite cheap already. I mean, have you seen The Kissing Booth? I haven’t, but an ex of mine loved it, so you know it’s just the worst (screw you, Janet!). Oh well.
The next time you have to watch some awful original program, just think to yourself: “This could have all been avoided if I had just watched Triple Frontier a few more times.”