Netflix reportedly plans to keep some movies in theaters for longer before streaming

Following years of back-and-forth between movie theatres and Netflix, the streaming behemoth may soon be expanding its theatrical offerings. According to Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw, Netflix is considering releasing select films in theatres this year with a 45-day exclusive theatrical window. That's a longer window than Netflix has traditionally provided movies when they're released in cinemas, and it's more in line with what's becoming a new windowing standard.

According to Bloomberg, the sequel to "Knives Out" and Alejandro González Iárritu's "Bardo" are two of the films being considered. The original "Knives Out" was a box office surprise, collecting $165 million in the United States and $311 million globally in 2019 on a $40 million budget.

Last year, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported that Netflix had secured two sequels to the film in a deal worth more than $400 million. Longer theatrical release windows have long been a source of contention for Netflix. "Don't Look Up" and "The Power of the Dog," two of its most recent Oscar hopefuls, were both given two-week theatrical windows before becoming available to stream.

Recently, John Fithian, the CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners said, "We're always open to bigger theatrical releases from the streaming companies if they have appropriate windows.The theater door is open to Netflix if they want to go with a bigger theatrical strategy."