There’s just one catch. Mr. Spielberg, 72, will not attend the meeting, much less propose any rule changes. He is not even in town. His schedule has long called for him to be in New York, where rehearsals are underway for his next film project, a remake of “West Side Story,” according to a person who works for him, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss his private itinerary.
In fact, Mr. Spielberg’s animosity toward Netflix appears to have been acutely overstated.
Mr. Spielberg has been publicly silent through all of it. But inside his company, Amblin Entertainment, Mr. Spielberg has expressed frustration with the way his views about streaming have recently been characterized in the news media, according to two people close to him, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to maintain their relationship. Yes, he believes that theater owners, streaming services and traditional studios need to come together to figure out a way to protect what he likes to call the “motion picture theatrical art form.” If the academy were to come up with a reasonable way to ensure that only films with robust theatrical releases are eligible for Oscars, there is a strong chance he would vote for it, the people said.
But a geriatric Luddite who wants to kill Netflix?
His primary beef is not with Netflix, according to the people close to him. Rather, he is frustrated that exhibitors have been unwilling to compromise. The multiplex chains have fought off any effort to shorten the exclusive period they get to play films of any genre, which is currently about 90 days. In January, after “Roma” was nominated for the best picture Oscar, Mr. Spielberg even called AMC and Regal, the largest theater companies, and implored them to play the Netflix film even though it was already available online. They refused.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/business/media/steven-spielberg-netflix-academy-awards.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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