Netflix’s New Will Smith Movie Is a Major Game-Changer

As streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime grow their original content and attract bigger and bigger customer bases, movie theaters continue to sweat as their existence is questioned.

With more options than ever for content — as this year demonstrated — people are turning away from the high prices of cinema houses and turning to places they can find the best content for a fair price.

Movie theaters still, however, have a stronghold on the blockbuster — the high-budget studio genre films that are looking to have mass appeal. With such films as “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” earning huge opening weekends, the argument still mostly stands that the theater is the best place to watch a popcorn-munching Hollywood adventure.

Netflix is now challenging that notion with its $90 million original fantasy adventure film, “Bright,” starring Will Smith, which hits the streaming service this Friday.

[lz_ndn video=33362120]

Directed by David Ayer from an original script by Max Landis, “Bright” takes place in a world where magic and creatures we once thought to be fantasy have been integrated into our reality. The result? The problems we’ve always had continue. Smith is an Los Angeles cop working toward retirement — and he has the unlucky job of partnering with the city’s first “orc” cop (Joel Edgerton); together these two mismatched partners may have to save the world from a nefarious villain who wants to get his hands on a powerful magic wand.

Sound ridiculous? It definitely is. Then again, every original fantasy franchise likely sounded ridiculous when it was first pitched. “Star Wars,” after all, is about an intergalactic fight between The Dark Side and the lightsaber-wielding Jedi, with something called The Force thrown in…

[lz_third_party align=center width=630 includes=https://youtu.be/6EZCBSsBxko]

The trailers for “Bright” have inspired confidence and excitement among many fans, mainly due to the realistic way Ayer has grounded and photographed Landis’ strange cinematic world. His background in gritty cop dramas includes such pictures as “Training Day” and “End of Watch.”

Related: ‘Star Wars’ Made a Staggering Amount of Money This Weekend

Netflix has been promoting “Bright” just as any other major studio would promote a blockbuster. There are massive billboards, an expensive soundtrack sporting top artists, Will Smith making the rounds with the press — and glossy looking trailers. The difference is that this blockbuster will be nowhere near a theater. Instead, it will be just a few clicks away, on almost any device.

“[Netflix] is the opposite of what the real situation is with other filmmakers. They’re going to pull a lot more talent. They’re supportive of the process. It feels like it’s 20 years ago with them,” said “Bright” director Ayer at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, according to Deadline. The filmmaker praised the freedom the streaming giant gave him compared to his previous work with traditional movie studios. He said the film felt “independent” despite having such a high budget.

“To really get an opportunity to be at the forefront with Netflix, that was exciting to me,” said Will Smith in an official featurette about the film’s unique release.

Many people talk about how original content on streaming platforms can be “game-changers” — and it can be in small ways. “Bright,” however, is bound to be a major game-changer for the industry, whether it’s successful or not.

No matter how everything shakes out, “Bright” represents a key moment for both the industry and consumers.

If it gets a good response and earns numbers Netflix likes, then it’s a huge blow for movie theaters and traditional movie studios. Audiences will have made a definitive statement that they’re willing to watch blockbuster content anywhere. Streaming services like Netflix will likely be changing their business platforms to include films meant to compete with massive studio fare like “Star Wars” and “Avengers.”

If it’s not successful, then theaters and traditional movie studios will have a rare win. Netflix will have an expensive experiment on its hands — and studios can rest assured they at least will still have the blockbuster market cornered.

No matter how everything shakes out, “Bright” represents a key moment for both the industry and consumers. Its success will certainly have major ripple effects, either good or bad, in Hollywood.

And either way, we’re still going to get an expensive movie about an LA cop teaming up with an orc to save the world from a magic wand — and it’s all headlined by one of the world’s biggest movie stars — so that’s something.

PopZette editor Zachary Leeman can be reached at [email protected].