Will Smith’s Netflix original Bright marked a seismic shift in the movie business, so why has it been forgotten? Netflix’s recent purchase of Warner Bros (assuming the deal actually goes ahead) will usher in a whole new chapter in Hollywood. Netflix has made no secret of its goal to move movies away from the big screen and towards streaming.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has even labeled theaters an “outdated” model, which has led to public disagreements with filmmakers like Rian Johnson. For now, Sarandos claims Netflix buying WB doesn’t mean an end to the studio releasing movies in theaters – just that waiting times between theatrical and streaming will “evolve.”
A decade ago, it would have been hard to imagine Netflix becoming so powerful and theaters being in danger of becoming obsolete. However, in that time, Netflix’s most viewed original movies like Red Notice or Bird Box proved it was possible to make blockbusters designed for home viewing, but this trend really began back in 2017.
Bright Was Netflix’s First Original Blockbuster
Bright is an action fantasy that plays out like a gritty buddy cop movie – just one where magical beings like orcs and elves are real. Netflix bet big on the film, casting none other than Will Smith in the lead, while David Ayer (The Beekeeper) stepped into the director’s chair with a $90 budget to play with.
In short, Netflix designed Bright to be a must-see blockbuster intended solely for home viewing. It was a bold experiment, though the movie’s reviews veered from mixed to outright hostile. Of course, it was also a giant success for the streamer.
According to the Nielsen estimates (via Variety), this Will Smith action movie scored 11 million during its first three days. Netflix subscribers were more than happy to check out a “free” blockbuster that was just a click away, while its arrival attracted lots of new subscribers to the platform.
In just about every way, the gamble paid off for the streamer. The film also signaled Netflix as a place where risky, expensive or unusual projects could find a home (and an audience), and that projects of Bright’s expense could find success outside a traditional release model.
Bright Proved Movies Didn’t Need Theatrical Pushes To Become Major Hits
The fact that Bright wasn’t very good was almost immaterial. It’s quite possible the fantasy actioner would have fared well on the big screen, especially with a star of Smith’s caliber. Still, the entire point of its release was to prove streaming was a viable platform for major movies.
This marked a big sea change for the industry as, before Bright, a film’s success was obviously ranked by box office and home media. However, the decline of DVD and Blu-ray as audiences turned to streaming saw an opportunity for those same platforms to rewrite the rules.
Will Smith and David Ayer previously worked together on 2016’s Suicide Squad.
Bright showed it was possible to make a big, splashy blockbuster that didn’t need a huge ad campaign or a theatrical push. Netflix didn’t even need to release the exact streaming numbers for it; all they had to say was it was one of their most-watched films, and that just drove more viewers to it.
Bright Signaled Hollywood’s Move Toward Streaming
Pretty soon, there was a headlong rush towards streaming and original content. Netflix led the charge with expensive efforts like Red Notice, 6 Underground and Army of the Dead, while the launch of Disney+ saw the streaming wars kick up a notch.
The COVID pandemic saw the industry doubling down on streaming for obvious reasons, as they had a captive audience to serve. In hindsight, this gold rush has had far-reaching consequences on the traditional movie-going experience, as many viewers now tend to wait for a movie they want to see to arrive on a streamer instead.
Theaters showed major signs of life in 2025 thanks to the success of Warner Bros efforts like Weapons and Sinners – which only made the studio more attractive to Netflix. Again, the streamer claims that once the deal is complete, they will still be releasing movies on the big screen.
Netflix was smart enough to see where consumer trends were heading back in the 2010s, with Bright being their first time dipping their toes into blockbuster waters. The genie isn’t going back in the bottle now, but it would be nice if Netflix’s stewardship of Warner Bros doesn’t mean the demise of movies heading to actual theaters.
Nobody Talks About Bright Now
There’s an observation that while streaming movies launch with great fanfare, most of them tend to fade from memory. Tarantino once spoke to Deadline that most streaming originals “don’t even exist in the zeitgeist,” as they don’t stick with audiences in the way theatrical experiences do.
Bright is a perfect example of this, as it’s been largely forgotten already. Despite representing a big shift in the industry and featuring major talent in front of and behind the camera, the film rarely gets talked about.
A direct sequel failed to arrive, and attempts to turn it into a franchise fizzled out with forgotten anime spinoff Bright: Samurai Soul. In the past, movies like Jaws or Batman 1989 also marked big changes in the direction of the movie business, but the difference is that they are now seen as classics.
In contrast, Bright has almost become a footnote, despite representing another shift. The film opened up a new path for the business in both good and bad ways, but eight years later, it’s tough to remember much about it.
Source: Variety, Deadline
- Release Date
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December 22, 2017
- Runtime
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118 minutes
- Director
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David Ayer
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