Why Netflix is good for the movie industry, according to Brad Pitt | ABS-CBN

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Why Netflix is good for the movie industry, according to Brad Pitt

Why Netflix is good for the movie industry, according to Brad Pitt

Karen Flores,

ABS-CBN News

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Brad Pitt arrives at the Tokyo press conference for his latest movie, "War Machine." ABS-CBN News/Handout photo

TOKYO -- Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt believes that subscription services like Netflix are creating new opportunities for filmmakers.

Pitt stars in the upcoming Netflix movie "War Machine," which he co-produced. The Afghan war satire is directed by David Michod ("Animal Kingdom") and is loosely adapted from Michael Hastings' book "The Operators."

While many say Netflix's move to get Pitt on board is "declaring war on cinema," the actor sees the streaming service as an add-on, another avenue for filmmakers to showcase their craft and is, in the long run, beneficial to the movie industry.

"There's more content being made, there's more risk out there. There are more films, there are more stories being told, there are more filmmakers getting shots. I think this is nothing but a fantastic moment for all of us," Pitt said during a press conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo on Monday.

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"It was very exciting for us, as David (Michod) said, to take a big leap for this one, specifically. And it was a big, bold move for Netflix, quite frankly," he added.

Netflix has dropped at least $60 million for "War Machine," which will be available to the video streaming service's 100 million subscribers worldwide starting May 26.

Pitt noted that a movie with "challenging material" such as theirs could not have gotten a higher budget from traditional studios.

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"Quite honestly, without a delivery system like Netflix, this movie wouldn't have been made. Or if it did get made, it would have been at one-sixth of the budget only... there is a great degree of difficulty to pull off," he explained.

"I guess the financial risk is really difficult for the studios to take on at this time."

CINEMAS STILL RELEVANT

Producer Dede Gardner, for her part, considers Netflix's open-mindedness quite refreshing.

She said this encourages filmmakers to create quality content, which means more options for viewers.

"I think everyone has intentions, but not everyone has the courage... [Netflix is] Just brave, never pulling a punch, never asking us to soften corners, just supporting us and David's vision from the word 'go' until now and on to the future," she said.

She continued: "We try to push boundaries in the stories we tell, and when you meet a company like Netflix who says, 'Okay, we want to do that, too,' and 'We have the money for it and we have the manpower to support you,' it's like a gift from up high. I imagine it felt like in the '70s making movies."

Fellow producer Jeremy Kleiner agreed, saying some stories "don't fit the existing business models" of traditional studios.

But this does not mean that they are doing away with cinemas, with Kleiner saying that these will remain relevant.

"We want to tell stories that we think are most essential, and I believe those are going to take the form of some films with the most conventional theatrical distribution as well as films with Netflix," Kleiner said.

"We have projects with Annapurna, Paramount and other companies. We want to tell great stories and those stories, I believe, will find their way to where they belong," he ended.

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