Netflix to Report Box Office Numbers for 6 Upcoming Movies as Streamer Escalates Theatrical Plans
The great Hollywood disruptor is inching toward the 130-year tradition of theatrical exhibition — and, for the first time, it will show its hand by reporting grosses.
Exclusive"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 Telluride, the Penélope Cruz-starrer is on its way to Toronto for yet another grand premiere.
There is one more bona fide that has raised eyebrows in the industry: La Bola Negra will receive the longest theatrical rollout Netflix has ever given one of its films — a 46-day release starting Oct. 16, before it lands on the platform Dec. 2.
For years the streamer has staged splashy limited releases to hype awards contenders and appease filmmakers who still yearn for the magic of movie theaters. But this plan is hitting differently — to say nothing of Netflix's designs for 2027, when Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew will enjoy a wide release (including Imax) for almost 50 days, while the animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plays wide for 47 days at Christmas.
"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."
Netflix showed its willingness to own and operate a theatrical distribution entity in its pursuit of Warner Bros. and HBO, until David Ellison's Paramount swooped in with a larger offer. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos later admitted he could "see us doing things that we haven't done before" with movie theaters, while insisting the company remains streaming first.
Exhibitors have long resisted Netflix titles over the company's refusal to grant a standard window of exclusivity — 45 days on the big screen is the current industry standard. "The exhibitors would absolutely welcome this. Imagine if Netflix of all places threw its weight behind a real theatrical marketing campaign, and not some awards play," one veteran distributor said.
The price of admission to that sandbox is reporting grosses, something the data-shy streamer has never done. Netflix will now report box office for six upcoming films, two company insiders said: Narnia, Charlie, La Bola Negra, David Fincher's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, The Mosquito Bowl and Ink.
Theatrical distribution at Netflix has been led by Spencer Klein since 2019. The former 20th Century Fox executive guided the company to its first No. 1 box office weekend in August 2025, with a sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters. Inside Netflix, the theatrical flirtation is being downplayed: extending big-screen runs, the company line goes, is a bespoke process where the film team decides "what's right" for each movie.