Many of Netflix’s biggest critically acclaimed hits have been the products of its multiyear production deals with noted directors like David Fincher and Shawn Levy. In the past few weeks, though, the streamer has brought some of those partnerships to an end in a way that feels indicative of a larger strategic shift.
With rival studios Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on the verge of a megamerger that will reshape the entertainment landscape, Netflix is clearly thinking about how it can continue to hold its own in the ongoing streaming wars.
But as the company charts its path forward, its plan to court subscribers might not put so much emphasis on big-name moviemakers. On Thursday, Netflix shared that its production deal with David Fincher is coming to an end after six years.
First announced in 2020, the partnership — which was originally scheduled to last for four years — gave Netflix the exclusive streaming rights to Fincher’s then-upcoming projects like his Herman J. Mankiewicz biographical drama, Mank.
With Fincher having previously executive produced original series for Netflix like House of Cards and Mindhunter, the deal seemed to be a sign of Netflix having faith in his ability to keep audiences riveted. At the time, Fincher joked that Mank’s critical reception and box office performance before it began streaming would determine what kinds of projects Netflix would let him make.
Critics generally praised the film and it was ultimately nominated for 10 Academy Awards — two of which it won. But during Mank’s three-week theatrical run, it only made around $100,000 against a $25 million budget, and once it hit Netflix, it only managed to spend a single day on the streamer’s list of its top 10 most-watched movies (in last place).
Though Fincher’s next project for Netflix — 2023’s The Killer — debuted at No. 1 on the chart, the project’s $452,000 box office gross against a $175 million budget made it another financial dud.
And with The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth set to show in theaters for two weeks before it hits Netflix on December 23rd, the film could be another example of Fincher delivering a movie that isn’t exactly a huge monetary win for the streamer. Fincher’s track record with Netflix is somewhat similar to director Shawn Levy’s.
After almost a decade of working exclusively with the streamer on projects including Stranger Things, The Adam Project, and Shadow and Bone, Levy announced last month that he had signed a new overall production deal with Disney. Levy — whose directing career began with a number of Disney Channel series — framed his decision to leave Netflix as a kind of homecoming.
