Netflix Movies Get Cozier With Theatrical Distribution

“La Bola Negra” has mucho heat. The generational queer drama swept the Cannes Film Festival off its feet in May, nabbing a $5 million sale to Netflix and earning helmers Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo the jury prize for best director. After lighting up last weekend’s Telluride Film Festival, the Penélope Cruz-starrer is on its way to Toronto for yet another grand premiere.

That’s plenty of bragging rights for an Oscar hopeful, but there’s one more bona fide that has raised eyebrows in the industry: “La Bola Negra” will receive the longest theatrical rollout that Netflix has given any of its films to date. The project has set a 46-day release for Oct. 16, before landing on the Netflix platform on Dec. 2.

For years, the streamer has engaged in splashy limited releases to hype awards contenders and appease filmmakers who still yearn for the magic of movie theaters. But something about the “La Bola Negra” plan is hitting differently with sources — to say nothing of Netflix’s designs for 2027. That’s when Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” will enjoy a wide release (including Imax screens) for almost 50 days, while the company’s animated “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will play wide for 47 days at Christmas. The feeling shared by numerous power players interviewed by Variety is that Netflix — the great Hollywood disruptor — is inching closer to embracing the roughly 130-year tradition of theatrical exhibition. It will also be showing its hand for the first time by reporting box office grosses for a slew of upcoming releases, Variety has learned.

“The real question is ‘What does Netflix want to be now?’” posed one high-level executive at a legacy film studio. “Having almost bought Warner Bros. Discovery, you get the sense that they can’t put some of that toothpaste back in the tube.”

The executive is referring to Netflix’s willingness to own and operate a…