Ben Affleck Slams Netflix While Promoting His New Production Company
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Ben Affleck is one of the most recognized movie stars in the world, and the 50 year old is not afraid to take on Netflix and its flaws. According to Deadline, while attending the New York Time’s DealBook Summit in New York City alongside his new production company’s investor partner Gerry Cardinale of Redbird Capital, the actor criticized the streaming company, comparing their process of releasing content to an assembly line. Although the Justice League star understands the company’s strategy, he suggested it was “impossible” to make high-quality films and television shows at such a rapid rate.
“If you ask Reed Hastings…I’m sure there’s some risk in that, and I’m sure they had a great strategy, but I would have said, ‘How are we going to make 50 great movies? How is that possible?” Ben Affleck said. He went on to say, “[Netflix film chief] Scott Stuber is a really talented, smart guy who I really like…but it’s an impossible job.”
Ben Affleck certainly makes a valid point. In an attempt to appease current subscribers while also bringing in new ones, Netflix spends billions of dollars each year to deliver original content. Although the streaming giant seems to serve up new movies and TV shows on a weekly basis, a majority of them are far from what many consider to be quality content.
According to an earnings statement, the streamer spent $17 billion on content in both 2022 and 2021, and it’s set to shell out around the same amount next year. Ben Affleck actually starred in one of the company’s most expensive movies, 2019’s Triple Frontier. The Netflix original cost an estimated $115 million to make, and it received a lukewarm reception, with a score of 70% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 55% score from everyday viewers.
Last month, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon launched their brand-new production company Artists Equity after securing $100 million in financing from investment firm RedBird Capital Partners. The two plan to give freedom and profit-sharing back to artists, which is something streaming companies like Netflix and Amazon haven’t really done. Additionally, they plan to focus on quality over quantity in terms of their company’s content.
In its first year, Artists Equity will release three motion pictures, including the sports drama Air Jordan, which stars Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Jason Bateman. Affleck will also direct the film from a script he co-wrote with Damon and Alex Convery. After its first year, the company’s annual goal will be to release five movies a year, which is a far cry from the astonishing amount of titles Netflix puts out annually.
Outside of his own newly launched production company, Ben Affleck has multiple projects in the works with other studios. For Warner Bros. Discovery, he’s set to return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in both The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and for Solstice, he’ll appear in the Robert Rodriguez-directed action thriller Hypnotic. After Ben Affleck’s recent criticisms of Netflix, it comes as no surprise that he doesn’t have anything lined up involving the streaming giant.
While Ben Affleck may be steering clear of Netflix, his wife, Jennifer Lopez, doesn’t seem to mind collaborating with the company. She recently appeared as herself in the streamer’s biographical documentary Half Time, which reflects on her multifaceted career and the pressure of life in the spotlight. She also set to star in the Niki Caro-directed thriller The Mother, which premieres on the streaming service next year.
