As
Hollywood continues delaying theatrical films due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
Netflix is looking to fill the gap, previewing an avalanche of original movies headed to streaming through the end of 2021.
Netflix on Tuesday dropped a sizzle reel showing off its packed 2021 slate, revealing it will release at least one original movie every week this year. The streamer's lineup for 2021 consists of 70 original films, though The Hollywood Reporter notes that number is "expected to grow" after additional acquisitions. But this 2021 slate is already larger than that of
Disney and Warner Bros. put together, The Verge reports, and Bloomberg describes it as Netflix's "most ambitious" ever.
The video released by Netflix teases films including the highly-anticipated Malcolm & Marie starring John David
Washington and Zendaya; directorial debuts from Halle Berry and Lin-Manuel Miranda; the action-comedy Red Notice, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds; and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, which stars
Leonardo DiCaprio and
Jennifer Lawrence.
The preview comes as it still remains unclear when the movie theater business will be able to kick back into gear in a major way, with COVID-19 cases surging as vaccines roll out slower than expected in the
United States. New delays to films scheduled for release in theaters early this year are expected, and on Monday, Sony postponed its Jared Leto-starring Morbius by seven months, moving it from March to October.