Netflix is staying in the made-for-TV movie business

When it comes to made-for-TV movies, Netflix is still the once and future king. In a new New York Times profile on Dan Lin, the blunt-talking chairman of Netflix’s film division, the streamer’s movie chief dispels any hope that Netflix would begin releasing movies in theaters. Lin, who made a splash a few months ago by denying Matt Damon’s accusation that Netflix requires characters to reiterate the plot every few minutes because viewers are on their phones, is releasing 88 such movies this year, more than any other studio. All of them, save for two exceptions, are going right to television, even if it means not working with top-tier talent. “There is a group of filmmakers who still want theatrical,” Lin said, with his “trademark bluntness,” according to the profile. “Those are filmmakers that we’ve accepted we just won’t work with.”