Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment have signed a multi-year deal for an exclusive first pay window in the US for theatrically releasing feature films starting from 2022, the companies announced on Thursday.
According to the deal, Netflix has reserved the rights to stream films such as Morbius, Uncharted, Where the Crawdads Sing and Bullet Train after the completion of theatrical and home entertainment releases slated for 2022.
Starting in 2022, Netflix will be the first US streaming home for Sony Pictures films following their theatrical releases. Get ready for UNCHARTED, MORBIUS, BULLET TRAIN & WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING, plus future sequels to VENOM, JUMANJI, BAD BOYS & SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
— NetflixFilm (@NetflixFilm) April 8, 2021
The rights also include the streaming of the sequel of Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and several more Sony films, featuring Marvel characters, including future instalments of Venom and Spiderman, and expected follow-ups for the Jumanji and Bad Boys franchises.
The agreement is built upon Netflix’s existing output deal with Sony Pictures Animation films and it has replaced an output arrangement with Lionsgate-owned Starz dating back to 2005.
According to a Deadline report, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the studio had earlier sold Tom Hank-starrer Greyhound to Apple TV+ as theatres in many regions were closed. Under the new deal, Netflix would get the first chance to release such films. Netflix and the Sony Studio had signed deals for the release of Kevin Hart‘s film Fatherhood.
Netflix will also license rights to select titles from Sony’s vast movie library and will include all Sony Pictures film labels and genres. The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group will also offer Netflix a first look at films it intends to make directly for streaming or decides later to license for streaming. Any such direct-to-streaming projects will be added to Sony’s full theatrical film slate, which will “continue at its current volume”.
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Scott Stuber, Netflix’s head of global films said in the statement that this deal would establish a new source of first-run films for Netflix viewers worldwide.
The cost of the deal has not been disclosed by the companies. However, a report by Variety stated that the new theatrical output deal with Netflix, which only covers the US, will run about five years and would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the studio over the term.
The deal, however, does not stop Sony Studio from selling direct-to-streaming titles to other streaming platforms. However, it would be possible when the streaming platform passes on the project back to Sony.