Netflix is setting its sights on Paris for a little while longer. On Monday, the streamer announced it had arranged a lease agreement for the iconic Paris Theatre in New York City. The streamer recently reopened the theater after it shuttered in August, using it for the premiere of Marriage Story, Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed drama starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Now, the streamer will continue to keep the marquee lights on to make the Paris a home for future projects and events.
“After 71 years, the Paris Theatre has an enduring legacy, and remains the destination for a one-of-a kind moviegoing experience,” said Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, in a statement. “We are incredibly proud to preserve this historic New York institution so it can continue to be a cinematic home for film lovers.”
It’s unclear how long the lease agreement will run. Per Netflix, the prestigious single-screen theater—the last of its kind in the country—will serve as a home for Netflix special events, screenings, and theatrical releases of its upcoming works.
The deal is not exactly a surprising one. There have been rumblings for years that Netflix, frequently bumping up against the global film industry’s theatrical-first, streaming-later mind-set, would invest in a theater in order to screen its own projects and satisfy old-school crowds. The Paris, a posh theater near Fifth Avenue, nestled close to establishments like the Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf Goodman, is a tony first step.
Of course, this announcement may not be enough to quell concerns from theater exhibitors and filmmakers alike, some of whom openly bristle at Netflix’s shrinking theatrical window for its prestige-film offerings. Though the streamer offered a robust theatrical window for contender Roma last year, that kind of showing is few and far between for its movie originals, reserved only for its major Oscar plays. This year, Netflix currently has two major best-picture contenders thanks to Marriage Story and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, both of which will be in theaters for a few weeks before becoming available to stream online; The Irishman will likely still be available to catch in theaters afterward, in the U.S. and abroad. Signing a lease for the Paris feels like a strategic olive branch, handed over right in the thick of awards season.
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