Netflix original film ‘Beasts of No Nation’ is now available for streaming

After bringing its original film to TIFF last month, Netflix is finally making Beasts of No Nation available for streaming. The film stars Idris Elba and it tells the story of a young West African boy forced to join a collective of mercenary fighters during the civil war. It’s directed by Cary Fukunaga who has also worked on projects like season one of True Detective, Sin Nombre, and Jane Eyre.

The release on Netflix is causing issues with theatre owners as the company released it on-demand and in some theatres in the US simultaneously. According to Wired, theater owners heard about the release at the same time as everybody else. Patrick Corcoran, vice president of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said distributors will usually negotiate a theatre owners ahead of a public announcement. Corcorcan says, “Netflix is not serious about a theatrical release.” He adds, “The purpose here is PR. They want to qualify for an Academy Award.” Because for them to qualify, a film has to be in theatres the same day or before home release. They got help with at least one theatre chain as select Landmark Theaters will be showing the film.

Source: SlashGear + Wired