Entertainment Strategy Guy Box Office Is Bad. Streaming Films Are So-So. I Have a Win-Win Solution Top straight-to-TV original films could have changed 2025 with a detour to the theater — I've got the numbers to prove it Share Subscribe I offer analysis for paid subscribers every other Thursday. I wrote about the overhyped valuations of A24 and Angel Studios ; covered 7 sleeper hits of the Streaming Wars; and explored why animation continues to make bank and IP dominates the box office. This year, Netflix had two of its biggest hits of all time with KPop Demon Hunters and Happy Gilmore 2. That’s the good news. The bad news? Everything else. I’d be surprised if anyone could answer these questions about some of the top streaming films in 2025: Can you name the top three Netflix original films after KPop and Gilmore? What’s the biggest non-F1 Apple original in 2025? Prime Video had a film starring Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson come out in August. What was it called? If you struggled with those, congratulations — you’re exactly like everyone else. And that’s the problem. In 2025, most streaming “hits” might as well be witness protection programs for movies. Which is why the three headlines below from early November matter so much. They explain the real economics of where film is going — and why so many filmmakers are suddenly reconsidering their allegiances. On Nov. 6, I saw this headline in The Wrap: On the same day, The Hollywood Reporter gave us our first hint as to why Cregger might make such a choice: For the most successful film in Netflix history Sony got… a $15 million bonus? That’s it? A couple of weeks later, The Wrap also provided a scoop that puts that number in context: In other words, if you want to get paid, theatrical films still offer the biggest upside. Of course, that’ll only be the case if theaters keep, you know, existing. Source: https://theankler.com/p/entertainment-strategy-guy-box-office-bad-streaming-films-win-win?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share