Netflix reportedly wants to focus on making bigger movies at a slower rate

Chris Evans in The Gray Man
(Image credit: Netflix)

A new report finds that Netflix may be interested in focusing on producing bigger, high-budget movies at a slower release rate.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streamer wants to focus on "making bigger movies, making better movies, and releasing fewer than it previously did at a gluttonous pace." On Netflix's earnings call, co-chief Ted Sarandos cited Don't Look up, Red Notice, and The Adam Project as examples of big-budget Netflix films that have been globally popular and well-received.

Don't Look Up, a disaster-comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, cost the platform $75 million to make and earned four Oscar nominations including Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds and Zoe Saldana, was made on a budget of $116 million and was watched by over 3 million people in its debut weekend. 

The network's new goal is to make a high-quality movie rather than settle for something cheaper that can be released quicker. Sarandos commented that Knives Out 2 and The Gray Man, a Russo brothers spy thriller starring Ryan Reynolds and Chris Evans, will hopefully increase growth after a 200,000 subscriber loss. The Gray Man cost around $200 million, making it the streaming service's most expensive film to date.

Netflix has gained quite the reputation for canceling its original TV shows, no matter how many viewers or how much positive acclaim the show has received. After this report, it can definitely be theorized that the network is canceling shows en mass to save up for bigger, high-budget productions.

For more, check out our list of the 46 best Netflix movies to watch right now.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.