For James Cameron, Netflix films have no place at the Oscars

For the director of Avatar, they should not be eligible, as long as they are not actually released in theaters.

Netflix is ​​still chasing its Best Picture Oscar. But for James Cameron, as long as the platform refuses to release his works in a real network of theaters, it simply has no business competing.

Guest of the podcast “The Town with Matt Belloni”, the director ofAvatar didn’t beat around the bush when asked what he thought about a potential sale of Warner Bros. to Paramount… or Netflix, another competitor in the ranks.

“I think Paramount is the best possible choice”he blurted before drawing. “Netflix would be a disaster. Sorry Ted, but seriously… Sarandos once said that theatrical films were dead. ‘Theatrical is dead’. I quote.”

Belloni then reminds him that Ted Sarandos would promise to continue releasing Warner films in theaters in the event of a buyout.

Cameron bursts out laughing.

“It’s pigeon bait. ‘We’ll release the film in a week or ten days. We’ll be eligible for the Oscars.’ To me, it’s rotten to the core. A film must be designed as a film for the theater. And the Oscars mean nothing if they no longer mean ‘theatrical cinema’. They were recovered, and I find it horrible.”

So when asked clearly if Netflix should be excluded from the Oscars, the filmmaker answers frankly: “They should have the right to compete if they release the film in a real circuit: 2,000 theaters for a month.” And added that if Netflix got its hands on Warner, a century-old studio “would just become a streaming platform”.

Since 2019, Netflix has received at least one Best Picture nomination every year, starting with Rome by Alfonso Cuarón. They followed: Martin Scorsese – The IrishmanNoah Baumbach – Marriage StoryDavid Fincher – MankAaron Sorkin – The Chicago 7Adam McKay – Don’t Look UpJane Campion – The Power of the DogEdward Berger – Nothing new in the WestBradley Cooper – MaestroJacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez.

Most of them did have a small theatrical release, but clearly in a symbolic way, releases limited in time and number of screens, just to satisfy the Academy’s eligibility criteria. James Cameron does not question the quality of the films themselves, but insists on the opposition between streaming and cinema. And the Oscars are for cinema according to him.

Remember that for the race for the 2026 Oscars, Netflix can already count on several heavyweights, including Frankenstein by Guillermo del Toro or Jay Kelly by Noah Baumbach.