Joel Edgerton Says James Cameron Shouldn’t ‘Be Squabbling’ Over ‘What Has a Right to Be Seen’ After Arguing Netflix Films Don’t Belong at the Oscars
At Monday night’s Gotham Awards, Joel Edgerton pushed back on James Cameron’s take that films without theatrical runs shouldn’t be eligible for the Oscars.
“None of us should be squabbling with each other over what has a right to be seen or awarded or part of a conversation — because there are some people that only get their chance because of streamers,” Edgerton, who latest awards buzzy film is Netflix‘s “Train Dreams,” told Variety. “I don’t necessarily think something should be seen as lesser than.”
Last week on Matt Belloni’s podcast “The Town,” Cameron blasted Netflix’s awards strategy as “fundamentally rotten at the core,” arguing the streamer should only be eligible to compete if a film plays for a month in at least 2,000 theaters.
“A movie should be made as a movie for theatrical,” Cameron said. “The Academy Awards to me mean nothing if they don’t mean theatrical.”
Since first changing the landscape with “Roma” in 2019, Netflix has earned 10 best picture nominations, but has never taken home the big prize. All met the basic eligibility rules through limited theatrical runs in major cities, but none had a traditional wide release.
Under the Academy’s updated rules for 2025, best picture hopefuls must pair a one-week qualifying run with a seven-day expansion in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets within 45 days of the initial release. Some, like Edgerton, argue that the shift could negatively impact lower-budget entries that lack the resources to book and market extended runs.
“I think the point that James is making is there should be more of a robust fight for the survival of cinema, but at the cost of saying that people whose only chance is to get their movies made on a streamer shouldn’t have a chance to also be seen and heard,” Edgerton explained. “Some people who have had a long history, where it makes it a bit easier for them, they’re willing to fight harder. And I really respect that. James is one of the greats. He’s making movies on a big canvas. He’s always been a pioneer.”
Other longtime industry voices, such as “Sentimental Value” star Stellan Skarsgård, sided more with Cameron’s fight to prioritize theatrical releases at the Oscars. “That’s the only way to make the theater survive,“ the actor explained. “That’s the only way to make cinema survive. And without cinema, you don’t have any Netflix.”
Yet as the industry has anticipated a post-pandemic comeback, moviegoers have grown more accustomed to watching news movies from the comforts of their homes. About three-quarters of U.S. adults watched a new movie on streaming instead of in theaters at least once in the past year, according to a recent AP-NORC survey. Nearly a third said they did so at least once a month.
“I understand the sentiment behind why [Cameron] would say that,” said “No Other Choice” director Park Chan-Wook, “but because of the increasing number of great films that have been made for streaming, I just don’t think that fits in with the reality that we’re living in right now.”
“I’ve died on the hill of cinema a few times over a few issues as a producer, director and an actor,“ Edgerton said. “A friend of mine once said to me, ‘How many of your favorite films did you ever actually watch at the cinema?’ Most of my favorite movies were made in the 70s… I didn’t get a chance to watch him until I was watching them on a VHS cassette on a shitty TV. And they’re still my favorite films.“
Edgerton concluded, “I would still semi-die on a hill for cinema. But I’m also a pragmatist.”
#TrainDreams star Joel Edgerton on James Cameron saying Netflix films that don’t play in theaters shouldn’t qualify for the Oscars:
“None of us should be really squabbling with each other over what has a right to be seen or awarded,” Edgerton said on Monday night at the… pic.twitter.com/PUtvlp0DnC
— Variety (@Variety) December 2, 2025
