Netflix to give Roma, Bird Box, Ballad of Buster Scruggs theatrical release to boost Oscar chances

New York: Netflix will give three films an exclusive run in theaters before making them available on its streaming service. [caption id=“attachment_5491701” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] (left-right) Bird Box, Roma, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Images from Twitter[/caption] Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma , the Coen brothers’ _The Ballad of Buster Scruggs_ and the Sandra Bullock-starring thriller _Bird Box_ will play in theaters for one to three weeks before premiering on Netflix. As per Variety, out of the three films, Roma will have the longest run in cinemas, beginning from 21 November to its premiere on the streaming service on 14 December. Up until now, Netflix has steadfastly insisted on releasing films in theaters only simultaneously with their streaming premiere. Guardian reports that projects such as the Brad Pitt-starrer War Machine and Will Smith’s Bright, were not released in theatres at all. However, more indie films like Bong Joon-ho’s Okja, and the Dee Rees’s Mudbound were released in cinemas for a short while alongside their streaming debuts. Netflix’s major pivot will give a handful of its most anticipated movies a stand-alone run in a relatively small number of theaters. Major chains still refuse to screen films that don’t adhere to an exclusive 90-day window. The move is being touted to make eligible the Oscar aspirants of Buster Scruggs and, in particular, Roma, which critics have hailed as one of the year’s best films, for Academy Awards. (With inputs from The Associated Press)