Netflix film The Irishman will be available for theater viewing during its limited release starting November 1st, adding cities for the next three and a half weeks until its launch on the streaming service on Nov. 27th. Directed by Martin Scorsese, the mob flick brings back gangster cinema legends Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci for another run on the silver screen. The film depicts the story of a mob hit-man (De Niro) who’s life is affected by the rise of Labor leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), and of course is already raising eyebrows as an Oscars contender.
It’s known that Scorsese preferred a more traditional release for The Irishman but it looks to be following the same route as Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma in 2018. Theater chains such as Regal and AMC are undecided about screening the film since it’s only asking for such a small window, so it can’t be determined exactly how many theaters will be distributing the film. Streaming services and the movie theater industry have been historically at odds, as some worry that Netflix and Amazon original content being easily accessible from home is ultimately hurting the film industry.
Some theater owners are in discussions to privately screen the film as long as its released for at least 70 days. Currently the film is looking at less than a month, so the debates will continue.