Picture: Netflix
First released in 2013, The Square was an early awards contender for Netflix and is still considered to be one of Netflix’s best documentaries in its history. Sadly, however, the documentary is currently set to depart the streaming service in January 2024.
Covering the 2011 Egyptian protest that looked to overthrow the military leader, the doc still holds a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Ty Burr for the Boston Globe said when it released:
“What does a revolution feel like from the inside? I’m not sure we’ll ever get closer than “The Square,” an electrifying, at times heartbreaking documentary from the Egypt-born, Harvard-educated documentarian Jehane Noujaim.”
The Square isn’t on every Netflix region, but it’s worth noting. The doc was notably only picked up exclusively in a handful of regions, with Netflix serving only as an international distributor and not quite a full Netflix Original (quite common for these early pickups). According to Unogs, which tracks libraries in 40+ countries, the documentary is only on Netflix in nine countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Latin America, and Canada.
Scooping three Emmy awards, including Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming, the doc also scored the coveted Audience Award for World Cinema at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
When is The Square leaving Netflix? Will it be removed?
A removal notice has begun displaying on the Netflix page for The Square as of the time of publishing. It states that your last day to watch is January 16th, with the actual removal planned for January 17th, 2024. Similarly, a leaving soon banner can be found on the tile of the documentary.
Removal date on The Square’s Netflix Page – Source: Screen capture
Some Netflix Originals that have been scheduled for removal have been renewed. These are often notable titles because they hold some kind of significance to the streamer, like Lilyhammer, which is Netflix’s first-ever Original title, or, perhaps most pertinent to this documentary, scooped awards for the streamer. That was the case with If Anything Happens I Love You, which was removed from Netflix momentarily before rejoining.
Should the show be removed from Netflix, we’ll add it to our ongoing list of every Netflix Original removed from the service, which now includes over 100 movies, shows, and specials.
Will you check out The Square before it departs the service? Let us know in the comments.
