Theater chains will boycott film ‘Beasts of No Nation’ because of simultaneous Netflix release

AMC and the three other big theater chains say they won’t be showing “Beasts of No Nation” because Netflix will offer the film at the same time it’s available to theaters.

Netflix bought the Cary Fukunaga drama for $12 million this week, according to the trade magazine Variety, but won’t honor the traditional 90-day grace period between when films screen in theaters and a home entertainment release. As a result, Variety reported, AMC, Regal, Cinemark and Carmike won’t show it.

No release date has been announced for the movie about child soldiers in Africa starring Idris Elba. It will be shown by some smaller theater chains, including Alamo Drafthouse, which has a location in downtown Kansas City.

“I’m agnostic about this sort of thing,” Tim League, the founder of the Alamo Drafthouse, an independent chain with 19 theaters, told Variety. “I look at films I want to play and I play them regardless of the release strategy.”

AMC, headquartered in Leawood, did not respond to a request for comment. Another locally based chain, B&B of Liberty, which bought Dickinson Theatres last year, has a firm policy against showing films that also are released for streaming.

Producers of the film didn’t see their simultaneous release strategy as a conflict with major theaters but as a way for the movie to be seen by as many viewers as possible.

“This movie will have the muscle of Netflix behind it,” said Amy Kaufman, a producer of the film. “It will definitely be seen by a lot more and different kinds of people through Netflix than it would have through a traditional platform.”

The big chains made a similar “no show” announcement last fall for the sequel to “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which Netflix will make in partnership with the Weinstein Co. and Imax.

Industry analysts said “Beasts of No Nation” still could show in 200 to 250 art houses and independent locations. Fukunaga won praise for his “True Detective” series on HBO, and Elba has a solid following.

This story was originally published March 4, 2015 at 7:03 PM with the headline "Theater chains will boycott film ‘Beasts of No Nation’ because of simultaneous Netflix release."