Hey kids, remember Triple Frontier?
Netflix, our all-seeing, all-knowing content god-king, continues to provide endless entertainment for us all to binge or savour accordingly.
Though the streaming giant plays things close to the vest when it comes to pertinent details like streaming data and budgets, it is clear that a lot of money has been pumped into original content so far.
Some TV efforts – Stranger Things for example – have become instant household names, commanding respect in the industry and the attention of millions.
Others – your Marco Polos, your Get Downs, etc – have been less successful, suffering premature cancellation despite plenty of resources
On the film front, it’s hard to know precisely what constitutes a hit.
With streaming data generally withheld – apart from positive specifics when something like Bird Box finds a big audience in its opening days of release – and no traditional box office system to draw from, wins and losses are a touch unclear.
However, a new report from technology digest The Information indicates that the platform is moving to manage expectations, with one recent star-studded endeavour shouldering some of the blame.
Released in March, Triple Frontier brought together the talents of Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Garett Hedlund and director J.C. Chandor.
There was much hype behind the project, in which a team of military types attempt a daring heist, and though the end product was a touch undercooked, there are many worse ways to spend two hours.
The Information write-up details a meeting held in early June by Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos in which he reportedly discussed a new plan for new original productions, one that is notably more budget-conscious.
According to that report, upcoming Netflix originals will be given the go-ahead based on their ability to attract a big audience as a priority over critical and potential awards success.
Furthermore, it is stated that the $115 million Triple Frontier was singled out as an example of a direction to pivot away from.
In April, Netflix announced that 52 million households had streamed the film. Meanwhile, a spokesperson has moved to play down this latest development.
“There’s been no change to our content budgets, nor any big shifts in the sorts of projects we’re investing in, or the way we green-light them,” they said.
Later this year, the streaming service will release The Irishman; a crime epic which boasts the hotly-anticipated reunion of Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.
Though the exact production budget number has been debated, the film has reportedly come in at somewhere around the $200 million range, marking the most expensive project of the acclaimed director’s career.
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