Netflix refused to buy Sony’s new animated filmHarold and the Purple Crayonas part of a new content strategy. Based on the children’s book of the same name and directed by Carlos Saldanha, the movie starsZachary Levias the titular character, who lives in an animated world where he can create anything by simply drawing it. His adventure begins when he enters the real world and discovers there’s a lot he doesn’t know. Ahead of its release,Harold and the Purple Crayonprompted baffled reactions online, particularly because Levi’s character is typically depicted as a child.
According toBloomberg, prior to Sony’s planned release ofHarold and the Purple Crayonon August 2, studio executives inquired about Netflix’s interest in acquiring the film for its streaming platform in fear that it’d fall short with the competition fromInside Out 2andDespicable Me 4, which both had the same release window. It’s said Sony “liked the film just fine,” though. Netflix, which has been aggressive in acquiring films no longer slated for theatrical release in recent years,wasn’t interested in buyingHarold and the Purple Crayon.The streaming service has adapted a new strategy to reestablish its reputation as a platform for quality movies under the direction of Netflix’s film chairman Dan Lin, which includesspending less and redirecting its resources to making films of better quality.
What This Means For Netflix & Harold And The Purple Crayon
Netflix Is Changing, And Harold Missed An Opportunity
With the new strategy, Netflix hopes to change public reception of direct-to-stream movies and their supposed inability to make good movies. Due to the change of moviegoers' habits from going to theaters to watching at home, the studio believes that the future lies with streaming movies. Through the new strategy, they hope to make the same impact with streamed movies that theatrical films would make. This change means thatLevi’sHarold and the Purple Crayonwon’t be the only one Netflix rejects. At the same time,Netflix will switch from acquiring films from other studios to making stronger original films.
The change directly affected thepublic’s access toHarold and the Purple Crayon, which went to theaters and thus didn’t reach a wide audience,only making a meager $30.7 million worldwide. Currently, the film can be streamed on Prime Video, Apple TV+ and VUDU, and it is expected to eventually reach Netflix due to Sony’s existing deal with the streamer. However, there’s no telling how the movie would’ve performed if it went to streaming directly; it might’ve found an audience with home-bound families looking for late summer entertainment.
Our Take On Netflix’s New Strategy
It Has Both Pros And Cons
Netflix’s strategy is prioritizing quality over quantity, which means that there will be fewer films coming out onto the platform and only a selective number of projects will see the light of day. The change is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if it leads to better work being made. On the other hand, the network’s move might also lead toother platforms rejecting titles that would have been releasedif it wasn’t for the change in audience’s behaviors.
A film’s quality shouldn’t be judged solely on its potential to succeed at the box office, given that there are many factors in play. WhileHarold and the Purple Crayonwas a flop at the box office and Netflix’s move would help build a better platform,it could also result in the purge of many brilliant projects. With studios and distributors being the gatekeepers of the film industry, cutting down on projects also means that some great ones might never make it to viewers, while others won’t be able to reach a broader, more accessible audience.
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Cast
Harold and the Purple Crayon is a fantasy film based on the book of the same name by Crockett Johnson. Zachary Levi stars as Harold, alongside Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, and Jemaine Clement. The film revolves around Levi’s character, who can make his drawings come to life with his purple crayon.
