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Avengers: Infinity War Director Thinks Netflix Is Changing What People Want

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  • Avengers: Infinity War Director Thinks Netflix Is Changing What People Want

    There's no denying that the way viewers consume entertainment has changed over the last few years. With the biggest film franchises composing cinematic universes and streaming video allowing for hours-long binges on-demand, the way things are watched has evolved and continues to do so. It begs the question though, is this something the audience wants or is it conditioning them to expect it?
    In the mind of Avengers: Infinity War co-director Joe Russo, it's the former. Speaking to Variety, he says, "I think all of this--Netflix, Marvel, Star Wars, this massive moment of disruption we're in--is really a function of audiences craving new kinds of storytelling." The co-director continues, "I think we had a really nice run for 100 years of two-hour, two-dimensional storytelling, but I think over the next decade, decade-and-a-half, you're going to see a radical shift in how stories are told."
    And there are plenty of new storytelling avenues for those audiences to experience. As the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe maintain their streak of breaking box office records, Netflix continues to release massive batches of original TV shows and movies. Are both appealing to what audiences want, though?
    Clearly, it's hard to argue that the MCU's method of building a universe of superheroes over a decade is working and audiences are reacting positively. Netflix, on the other hand, is a bit more of a mystery.
    The streaming service has said before it was planning a total of 700 original shows in 2018 and has been releasing them in loads every month, premiering full seasons all at once for audiences to binge. Much of the content never makes it to the public conversation, though. While audiences devour new seasons of Stranger Things and the Marvel shows, there's a long list of originals that never seem to attract attention. For instance, did you watch Seven Seconds? It premiered on Netflix in February and has already been canceled.
    Then, of course, there's the argument many seem to have about practically every Netflix show: Why are there so many episodes? A typical season on the service runs 13 episodes, yet a lot of the shows seem to begin running out of steam around eight installments in. Perhaps that wouldn't be the case if the shows were airing weekly, rather than being dumped all at once. Still, it's hard to look at even its Marvel offerings and think about how much stronger they'd be if they were shorter.
    Netflix has undoubtedly changed the way TV is watched, for better or worse. "Binge" watching shows has become common, thanks in large part to the streamer--though it's YouTube that should really be credited for beginning the shift. Is it a good one, though? That's up to the individuals tuning in. As the MCU continues to grow bigger, it will be interesting to see if more of Netflix's massive programming library begins to find traction with an audience, rather than just their top-tier programming.


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