Big screen, small – The Boston Globe

“Wolves” appeared on Apple TV+ after a short break in cinemas. What makes this news interesting – and what caused a flurry of news last month – was part of a deal with the action comedy stars that called for “Wolves” to have an extended theatrical run before streaming. So, poof, only a week. Since these stars’ names are George Clooney and Brad Pitt, they made an otherwise standard newsworthy business decision.

Brad Pitt (left) and George Clooney in “Wolves.” Scott Garfield/Apple TV+ via AP

Even before the pandemic, there was a period when Netflix (especially) and Amazon Prime gave their films longer theatrical screenings in an attempt to give them more publicity. This helped attract well-known filmmakers and increased the likelihood of receiving an award. Or one particular award: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences required a theatrical release before a film could be eligible for an Oscar.

Hence, Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” (2018) and Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” (2019) hit theaters long before they were available to Netflix subscribers. But now that the divide between cinema and digital has become so uneven, such long viewings before switching to streaming are virtually over. Looking back, Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) with Apple TV+ may be his last. What’s not surprising is that Apple shortened the theatrical version of “Wolves.” The thing is, that wasn’t the plan from the beginning.

Hollywood has always had its artistic hierarchies. Over the years, below “top films” – a title that is a function of budget and (presumed) prestige, not necessarily quality – have been “B movies”, “drive-in movies” and “straight-to-video”. The term “straight-to-streaming” never caught on, likely because streaming arrived so quickly and flooded theaters no less quickly.

Scott Feinberg’s “Feinberg Forecast” published in The Hollywood Reporter is the closest we’ll get to a reliable early ranking of the Oscar race. Four of the 25 titles he listed as his favorite movies in his latest column are from Netflix.

“Emilia Pérez,” which Feinberg currently ranks No. 2, will begin streaming on Nov. 13 after just a two-week run in theaters. “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as opera singer Maria Callas, came in 15th place. The broadcast will start on December 11. It is also scheduled to be in theaters for just two weeks (even though Jolie is Feinberg’s favorite in the best actress category). Richard Linklater’s comedy “Hit Man,” which began streaming on June 7? Two weeks again. “The Piano Lesson,” an adaptation of August Wilson’s play, will be released digitally on November 22. Its cinema screening will last – as you guessed it – two weeks.

Perhaps Clooney and Pitt’s complaint shouldn’t have been that an extended theatrical release was abandoned, but that it only ran for a week, not two.

Mark Feeney can be reached at [email protected].