Why movies still matter to this small-screen giant

Netflix might be known for its shows, but the streamer's investment in film, including the current 'Frankenstein,' is all part of its strategy

- By Samantha Masunaga

company's embrace of movie theaters may seem surprising given its longstanding testy relationship with movie theater exhibitors and their distribution strategy.

Small-screen giant Netflix has once again turned to the big screen, this time with the recent release of its latest buzzy film, "Frankenstein."

Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, the film opened with a limited release in 10 theaters in Los Angeles, New York and a few other cities and will expand to more sites for a total theatrical run of three weeks. The film stars Oscar Isaac as the titular egomaniacal scientist and Jacob Elordi as the creature (who, contrary to popular belief, is not named Frankenstein — you can thank my English major for that tidbit).

The film is getting some awards attention, particularly for the performance of the prosthetics-and-makeup-laden Elordi, and notched a solid 86% approval rating on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Sunday afternoon on opening weekend, Del Toro posted that the film had sold out at least 57 screenings. "Frankenstein" will debut on the streamer on Nov. 7.

Del Toro's "Frankenstein" is just the latest in a long line of adaptations of the classic 1818 novel by Mary Shelley. From the first silent film short in 1910 to Boris Karloff's famed turn as the monster in 1931 and the Kenneth Branagh-directed movie in 1994 that starred Robert De Niro as the creature (Branagh played Frankenstein and Helena Bonham Carter was Elizabeth Lavenza), the classic horror story has proved ripe for filmmakers' commentary on humanity, science and nature.