Annihilation was released via Netflix outside of NA. Cinema screenings for it here in Tasmania, Australia would have been sparse, if there were any at all.

I agree with you to a point, but I have a feeling you’re in the US? Netflix is the only way a lot of these kinds of movies get released in most countries at all.

It is. Netflix may buy small movies up but they bury them in their algorithm and release schedule because their business model is about quantity.
Instead of telling people they need to see a new film they’ll throw out a trailer two weeks before release and that’s it.
Look at Roxanne Roxanne. A strong movie. It would have never been a real money maker that reached a wide audience based on the subject matter and what modern audiences are attracted to but it could have found a small dedicated audience if the right distributor put a little faith behind it. Maybe make $10 to $12 million at the limited box office. People would have talked about the film and based on the small success of the film there would be a good chance the director would be offered the chance to do a new film.

Maybe if Netflix changed their system to actually benefit their acquired indie releases so these acquires actually got pushed to people but the system is working fine for Netflix. They pay the filmmakers/producing team a lump sum at the start and then they just dump the movie online and that’s it. I don’t think Netflix did Macon Blair any favors with “I Don’t Feel At Home in the World Anymore.” That’s a movie that could have done some solid business and would have gotten some people interested in hiring Blair for another film. Instead Netflix dropped it in between much more higher profile stand up specials from Louis C.K. & Marlon Wayans or something.

Netflix is good but it is not the savior of independent film some people proclaim it to be. Especially since Netflix (like Amazon) have expressed interest in pursuing bigger projects as opposed to smaller indies.

I mean, I certainly can’t think of any movies actually being “discovered” on Netflix. Once a movie is on there it has a week before it’s lost to the endless list of options and is buried under newer releases.

While I agree with you, I hate how Netflix buries everything on their website. John Woo’s new movie was released last week and there’s no marketing for it on the page whatsover. They acquired the Big Sundance winner last year ‘I don’t feel at home in this world anymore’ and quickly dumped it in with anything else. I find myself continually stumbling across things that I had no idea were released or streaming on Netflix, and it drives me nuts! They don’t promote or market ANYTHING on their page when they should be. In that sense, they can blow their horns all they want about purchasing these movies at the Festivals, but I know they’ll just end up unceremoniously dumping them deep on their page somewhere. I think that new Scorsese release doesn’t stand a chance with Netflix.

is it? seems like Netflix has supported a lot of small independent film that didn’t have a wide release in the past or had big numbers at the box office and it’s been a way I’ve seen a lot of great films discussed on here but didn’t show up at my theatre. Without Netflix support maybe there’s less funds for small quality films to be made.