Within a few years, Netflix has grown from a service that streams movies and shows made by other studio and companies to a major, prolific producer of its own content. The budgets for its own output matches that of its Hollywood rivals, and it continues to disrupt traditional, decades-old way of doing things. From entire TV seasons premiering simultaneously, to movies that are available to watch worldwide within weeks of their festival premieres, Netflix continues to make its own rules about how and when we view entertainment.
However, two of this week's theatrical releases show that the company is perhaps softening on one of its more controversial practises, namely bypassing theaters entirely. The big budget Jungle Book adaptation Mowgli and highly acclaimed drama Roma can both be seen in theaters ahead of their Netflix debuts in a few weeks, and while a one or two week window is obviously much smaller than most theatrical releases get, it's still notable that the company is willing to give their most expensive and prestigious movies the chance to be seen on the big screen. In the case of Mowgli, this hugely expensive film was bought from Warner after experiencing many delays, and was always intended to be seen theatrically. Roma, meanwhile, is a serious Oscar contender, and the Academy still requires a theatrical release for all movies under consideration for nominations.
Beyond those releases, this week stands as one of the quietest of the year in terms of new movies in the US. After Mowgli and Roma, the biggest movies are the low budget British zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse and the horror movie The Possession of Anna Grace, which is getting a wide release but arrives with absolutely zero buzz. In the UK, Creed II and Ralph Breaks the Internet hit screens, a week after their highly successful US debuts. So here's the week's new releases in the both the US and UK...
Mowgli
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
This adaptation of the classic novel The Jungle Book was originally due to arrive in theaters back in late 2016. But following the huge success of Disney's own Jungle Book movie, the rival version was delayed, and ultimately sold to Netflix. It hits the service next week, but ahead of that we have this limited theatrical release. Directed by Planet of the Apes and Black Panther star Andy Serkis, the all-star cast includes Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Serkis himself, and it is supposedly a much darker take on the story than the Disney version. With Disney's own sequel also in development, it remains to be see how many Jungle Books the public actually wants, but with any luck, it will offer something a little different.
Anna and the Apocalypse
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Holiday horror has long been a staple of the genre, but Anna and the Apocalypse might just be the first holiday comedy horror musical. It's yet another zombie movie, but this time the undead action is punctuated by rousing song-and-dance numbers, as a young woman named Anna fights to save her loved ones. Based on an award-winning short film, Anna and the Apocalypse has been picking up rave reviews at various festivals over the past year and it looks like the perfect good-time Christmas zombiefest.
The Possession of Anna Grace
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Originally titled Cadaver, this horror movie focuses on a former cop who has checked out of rehab and takes a graveyard shift working in a city morgue. Unfortunately, one of the corpses died during an exorcism, and is still possessed by some ancient evil. The movie hits US and UK theaters in Friday, and while there are currently no reviews available for this one--which is rarely a good sign--the trailer looks like it could provide horror fans with some decent claustrophobic scares.
Creed II
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
While most thought that the legendary movie boxer Rocky Balboa had finally hung up his gloves, the 2015 spin-off Creed not only gave the character one of his finest movies, it paved the way for director Ryan Coogler to get the job of directing Marvel's wildly successful Black Panther. Coogler isn't back for the sequel, but star Michael B. Jordan is and he is once again playing the son of the original movies' Apollo Creed. Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone is back too, as both co-star and co-writer, as is Rocky IV's Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said the movie gives the fans "exactly what you want, executed with amazing finesse." It has already proved to be a smash in the US, and arrives in the UK theaters this week.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
The 2012 animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial hit, and the sequel hits UK theaters this week. It focuses on the arcade game villain-turned-hero of the title, who this time enters the internet after the arcade his game lives in goes online. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, with Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Taraji P. Henson, and James Corden also part of the voice cast. The movie stands as the second biggest Thanksgiving weekend box office hit of all time in the US, so expect similar business in the UK.
Roma
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
Alfonso Cuaron is best known for the hugely successful Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity, but his new movie is a world away from those blockbusters. It's a semi-autobiographical story set in Mexico City of the early '70s, and it follows the life of a housekeeper who works for a dysfunctional middle-class family. It's had some the best reviews of any of movie this year, with critics praising both it's beautiful black-and-white photography, ambitious narrative, and powerful performances. Roma hits Netflix on December 14, but the streaming giant are giving it a limited theatrical release ahead of this, and can be seen in UK cinemas this week. Could this be the first Netflix movie to pick up some major awards nominations?
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