Lionsgate – Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage
Hulu and Lionsgate movies have struck a new deal whereby new Lionsgate movies will be coming to Hulu and FX between 2020 and 2021. Here’s what that means to Netflix and a little history of Lionsgate content on Netflix.
Details of the deal aren’t 100% finalized but here’s what we do know.
- All movies released from 2020 to 2021 will come to Hulu in the first window. That means roughly 9 months after their theatrical release.
- Movies will also be shown on FX which is owned by Disney, the corporation behind Hulu
- Epix will retain the rights to the movie in further pay windows and likely will still be shopped other providers long into the future.
Lionsgate is a major entertainment company that has large output and many subsidiaries such as Starz. It’s been known to have distributed some big titles like The Hunger Games, Saw, Kick-Ass, The Expendables, Ender’s Game, and John Wick.
Netflix has been relying less upon or losing (depending on what way you want to look at it) contracts like the Lionsgate one in recent years. The reason for this is in some cases, companies consolidating their content ready for streaming services of their own (see Disney) or finding a better buyer elsewhere.
What does this mean for Netflix?
In truth, this new Hulu deal with Lionsgate doesn’t mean all that much. Netflix did used to have an output deal with Lionsgate and Epix but that’s no longer the case since 2015. It was a big deal at the time leading to Netflix putting out a blog post explaining why it was happening.
With none of the Lionsgate catalog streaming on Netflix right now (at least in the US), it won’t change much.
What movies will Netflix miss out on?
Looking at the upcoming roster of Lionsgate movies, they’ll be missing out on the following movies:
- Run
- Saw Reboot
- Chaos Walking
- The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
- John Wick: Chapter 4
Could/should Netflix get the Lionsgate movie output deal post-2021?
Since Netflix dropped Lionsgate for fairly specific reasons, it may be likely they won’t ever get the contract again.
In a report, Netflix reportedly said that the movies were widely available elsewhere beyond Netflix (when they were streaming on Netflix) and that’s a problem because Netflix tends to like exclusivity whether that’s with its Originals or third-party contracts.
Would you have liked to see Lionsgate movies head to Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
