Matt Damon Just Revealed One Netflix Note That’s A Big Yikes (And I Think Explains A Lot About The Content On The Streamer)

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With more people watching movies at home and fewer films being shown in cinemas, streaming services like Netflix have become a complex force in the movie industry. While some see them as a challenge to traditional filmmaking, others view them as a way to keep movies alive. This shift in how we watch films is also influencing how those films are made.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s latest movie, The Rip, is the kind of character-driven drama about crooked police officers and money that used to play in cinemas. Now, it’s available to watch with a Netflix subscription. The two actors discussed the film on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, praising streaming services—especially Netflix—for giving films like The Rip a platform. Damon also mentioned that Netflix had requested some changes to the movie.

As a movie lover, it’s fascinating to see how streaming services like Netflix are changing things. Traditionally, action movies built to a big finale – a massive set piece with all the explosions saved for the third act, with smaller action sequences sprinkled earlier to build momentum. But Netflix wants to grab your attention immediately. They’re asking for a huge, attention-grabbing action scene within the first five minutes to keep you hooked. And honestly, they even suggest repeating key plot points a few times in the dialogue, knowing many of us are probably scrolling on our phones while watching! It’s a different approach, designed for how we actually consume content these days.

We’ve been hearing talk about this for a while, and it really highlights what’s happening with streaming services. It could allow movies that wouldn’t get made for theaters to finally see the light of day, but it will likely change the movies themselves in the process. While it makes sense to try and grab the attention of viewers who aren’t fully engaged – maybe by adding action scenes or altering the story – it’s also a bit disheartening.

It’s understandable that people often do other things while watching TV – even before smartphones, we’d multitask with chores like cooking or laundry. We’ve never really been able to give anything our complete attention. However, tailoring content to that distracted viewing experience is a recent trend. And for those who are fully engaged, constantly having characters repeat plot points just makes the movie feel repetitive and less enjoyable.

Ben Affleck notes that Netflix doesn’t have strict rules about how shows are made. For example, the popular and well-received series Adolescence doesn’t follow these guidelines, proving they aren’t necessary for a successful Netflix project. Matt Damon believes that as streaming services become even more dominant, they will inevitably influence filmmaking. He goes on to say…

It’s going to really start to infringe on how we’re telling these stories.

It’s easy to understand why Matt Damon might be right, and why this trend could become much more common. If Netflix were to acquire Warner Bros., we might see films initially released in theaters include features specifically designed to enhance the viewing experience when they eventually become available on the streaming service. This is definitely a possibility.

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2026-01-19 23:08