The rivalry between Amazon and Netflix in producing original streaming projects is extending to the awards season, now more than ever. That rivalry reached a new pitch today through Casey Affleck's Manchester by the Sea, nominated for the Best Picture Award at the 89th Annual Academy Awards.
The film Manchester by the Sea was a nod of excellence among the critics dating back to the time of its Sundance premiere last year. Casey Affleck even won a Golden Globe for his lead role performance.
The nomination has elevated Amazon a level higher than Netflix when it comes to showcasing the Hollywood prestige. It is bound to have certain ramifications as competition continues to heat up in the next several years.
However, much of the glory has to do with Amazon's visibility in quality film-making. Amazon has positioned itself as a distributor Hollywood can easily work with, unlike Netflix who causes annoyance to theater chains by insisting on simultaneous streaming release for its films. Amazon's more lax policy that allows its movies to show in theaters before they make online debut, coupled with positive word of mouth, were the key ingredients to Manchester having a successful release in theaters last fall - something that Academy voters definitely pay attention to.
That reality will almost certainly change in the long term considering the fact that streaming is beginning to change the rules for television. As directors and producers bring movies to people's living rooms, theaters will eventually die out in the industry. As director Macon Blair told The Verge at Sundance, "Obviously it would be great if everybody only saw movies on the big screen all the time. On the other hand, there's a lot to be said for being able to view something in your home." Although Netflix would love to agree on this, it is Amazon that is receiving more dividends from its gradual success as of the present time.
The fact that Amazon was able to reach the highly-legitimate Best Picture nominations is sure to be taken notice of by the film industry. Although Netflix too has nominations for several other films, the award establishes the notion that Amazon is surely becoming a new power in the Hollywood.
