Furious cinemas chains have threatened to boycott the forthcoming sequel to the Oscar-winning martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon following Netflix’s announcement that the film will be available to view on the same day it hits cinemas.
The streaming service announced on Monday that it is teaming with The Weinstein Company, the firm owned by famed Hollywood superproducer Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob, to co-produce the new movie. They plan to debut Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, simultaneously at Imax cinemas globally and via Netflix on 28 August next year.
However AMC, Cinemark, Regal and Carmike, which together own more than half the US’s 400 Imax screens, all said they would refuse to screen the film. They are angry because the plan radically ignores the longstanding theatrical “window” which means that new movies are not usually made available to view at home for at least 13-17 weeks after their release in cinemas. Europe’s second-largest chain, Cineworld, and Canada’s largest chain Cineplex also said they would not be screening the sequel.
The anger from chains was palpable, with the battle over The Green Legend shaping up to dwarf the row over Disney’s proposals to cut the release window for Alice in Wonderland to 12 weeks in 2010.
“AMC Theatres and Wanda Cinema are the largest operators of Imax-equipped auditoriums in the world,” said AMC in a statement. “We license just the technology from Imax. Only AMC and Wanda decide what programming plays in our respective theatres. No one has approached us to license this made-for-video sequel in the US or China, so one must assume the screens Imax committed are in science centers and aquariums.”
A spokesperson for Regal added: “While a home video release may be simultaneously performing in certain Imax locations, at Regal we will not participate in an experiment where you can see the same product on screens varying from three stories tall to three-inch wide on a smartphone. We believe the choice for truly enjoying a magnificent movie is clear.”
The reaction from cinema owners challenges Netflix’s proposal because Imax owns only a handful of its own sites. The Weinsteins would most likely still be able to release the film in China, though opposition from AMC – owned by Chinese giant Wanda – suggests there could be issues there too.
The sequel will based on Iron Knight, Silver Vase, the fifth book in the five-strong series of Crane-Iron novels by Chinese writer Wang Dulu, who died in 1977. Crouching Tiger was based largely on the fourth book in the saga.
The Green Legend will see the the return of Michelle Yeoh as swordswoman Yu Shu Lien, this time opposite Donnie Yen. New director Yuen Wo-Ping is best known for his work as fight choreographer on The Matrix Trilogy and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films, and as director of 1993’s Tai Chi Master.
Netflix describes the sequel as a film which echoes the themes of the original movie, but tells its own story, “one of lost love, young love, a legendary sword and one last opportunity at redemption”. The service promises “breathtaking action in an epic martial arts battle between good and evil that will decide the fate of the Martial World”.
The new film’s proposed cinema release holds out the potential for Netflix to compete for Oscars. Lee’s 2000 movie won four Academy awards, including the prize for best foreign language film, in 2001 and the streaming service has already made its presence known at other awards ceremonies. Its self-funded shows Orange is the New Black and House of Cards have won Emmy prizes, and the latter series took home a debut Golden Globe earlier this year – Robin Wright taking the best actress in a television series gong.
