Amazon Studios, the film and television arm of Amazon.com, made a big play today at the AFM (American Film Market). The 5-year-old division of the online retail giant bought the US distribution rights to Nicolas Winding Refn’s latest film The Neon Demon, which stars Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, Christina Hendricks, and Keanu Reeves. It’s a big play on its own but makes up a much bigger plan of Amazon’s to bring smaller, niche movies to the big screen and people’s homes that may have struggled to find distribution elsewhere.
Amazon will release The Neon Demon in theaters and then four to eight weeks later to Amazon Prime members similar to what Sony did with The Interview but minus the whole North Korean hacking shit storm. That’s also a significantly shorter wait time from big screen to subscription video service than the industry standard of 39 to 52 weeks. It’s also not entirely a surprise that Amazon went for Demon either. Bob Berney, head of distribution for Amazon Studios, also released Refn’s 2011 critical and cult hit Drive when he worked at FilmDistrict. Not to mention Wild Bunch and Gaumont, who co-produced Refn’s last film Only God Forgives, are also partnering for Demon.
But this isn’t strictly a case of friends helping friends out. Amazon Studios’ deal today is a step forward in the company’s plan to buy and distribute a handful of films, first in theaters and then to Amazon Prime. Roy Price, VP of Amazon Studios, said back in January, “We look forward to expanding our production efforts into feature films. Our goal is to create close to twelve movies a year…”
Price then dropped a line that indicates that the studio is also looking out for directors and their craft. “We hope this program will also benefit filmmakers, who too often struggle to mount fresh and daring stories that deserve an audience.” His statement also means accessibility and choice for audiences when it comes to content they want to see.
Demon marks the third film Amazon Studios has scooped up this year, the first being Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq followed by the Kristin Wiig dark comedy Desired Moments. Demon and Chi-Raq aren’t exactly blockbusters. In fact, larger studios are reluctant to go near anything from Refn and Lee nowadays. Neither director is a big box office draw and their recent films have polarized both critics and audiences, making any project of theirs seemingly a gamble and making wide distribution a lofty possibility.
But regardless of how you feel about either’s work, their stories are unique and there’s an audience that wants to see them. While not every Prime member may be inclined to watch, those that do can. It’s a similar move to what Netflix did with Beasts of No Nation, and while that may have been more motivated by the awards season, it’s still an example of disrupting the norms of distribution by creating innovative ways to deliver content. Amazon’s plan gives filmmakers the chance for their niche work to be seen on such a wide platform while giving audiences the freedom of choice and accessibility to content they want to see. Their purchase of The Neon Demon is an important win for everyone and Amazon is primed (pun absolutely intended) to continue working for filmmakers and audiences alike.
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