James Cameron claims Netflix movies shouldn’t qualify for the Oscars
James Cameron has hit out at Netflix, claiming films made for the streaming platform shouldn’t qualify for the Oscars.
The acclaimed director was appearing on the podcast The Town with Matt Belloni ahead of the release of his latest film Avatar: Fire and Ash, when he started bemoaning the current state of the film industry and its gearing towards the streaming service market.
Due to an increasing number of new releases from Netflix heading straight to streaming with incredibly limited or even non-existent traditional cinematic runs, Cameron lashed out by saying: “The Oscars mean nothing to me if they don’t mean theatrical.”
He added: “Netflix should be allowed to compete if they put the movie out for a meaningful release in 2,000 theaters for a month.”
There have been a myriad of high-profile straight to Netflix movies made over the past number of years which have caught the acclaim of The Academy, not limited to Power of the Dog, Maestro, and The Irishman.
Amid the current acquisition bid for the Warner Bros, currently being pursued by frontrunner Paramount, Cameron threw his weight behind the studio as he claimed Netflix buying out the company would be a “disaster”.
Elsewhere in the interview, the filmmaker was also pressed on his friendship with technology tycoon Elon Musk, whom he said has “transformed spaceflight”.
“When Elon and I get together, we jam on rocket engines,” Cameron revealed, before adding, “Politically, I don’t agree with him on a lot of stuff. But, you know, I certainly respect what he’s done in the space sector. I think it’s quite remarkable.”
When asked if there could ever be a possibility of himself and Mush working together, the director mused: maybe I can separate a person on their politics from the things they want to accomplish if they’re aligned with what I think are are good goals. I just think it’s important for us as a human civilisation to prioritize. We got to, we’ve got to make this earth our spaceship.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash will be released in cinemas on December 19th.
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