- New Universal Live-Action Movies Reportedly Debuting on Netflix Earlier Than Expected
- The former’s latest film projects would not reach the streamer until 2027.
- A new report indicates that they will begin arriving on the platform at the end of January.
Netflix will reportedly become the new streaming home for Universal Pictures’ latest live-action films ahead of schedule.
According to fan site What’s on Netflix (WoN), the streaming giant will replace Prime Video as the home destination for Universal movies before the end of January 2026.
The revelation comes more than a year after Netflix announced it had signed a multi-year deal with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group (UFEG) for the U.S. rights to live-action films from Universal Pictures and its subsidiary Focus Features. According to a Netflix press release from October 2024, Netflix confirmed that it had renewed its exclusive licensing agreement with UFEG for its animated offerings and, starting in 2027, could show UFEG’s live-action films no later than eight months after their initial theatrical release.
Now, however, WoN has suggested that the partnership will begin a year earlier than Netflix and Universal first revealed. According to website sources, Megan 2.0 will lead the charge, with the sci-fi horror thriller premiering on the world’s best streaming service on January 26. Many more big-screen projects from Universal will follow in 2025, including Jurassic World: Rebirth on February 28 and Bugonia on April 26.
I contacted Netflix for comment on WoN’s report, but had not received a response at the time of publication. I will update this article if I receive a response.
Another streaming victory to add to Netflix’s trophy case
As of this writing, Prime Video owns the US rights to add new UFEG movies to its back catalogue. That’s been the case since the multi-year licensing deal, which began in 2022, was first announced in July 2021 (according to a press release from Amazon MGM Studios).
Back then, it was suggested (according to the Los Angeles Times) that Amazon and Universal had signed a five-year partnership. However, it appears that Netflix will now become the new holder of what is known as the Pay-1B window. That’s the timeline for a 10-month period by which Netflix can exclusively show Universal movies to its user base before they rejoin Peacock TV, aka the streamer owned by NBCUniversal, UEFG’s parent company.
If WoN’s report is accurate, it raises the question of how Netflix managed to secure the Pay-1B window rights to live-action films from Universal a year earlier than expected. After all, Amazon’s deal with Universal still has 12 months left in it.
With many more highly anticipated Universal-developed movies available to stream at home in the coming months and years, Evil: forever and The Super Mario Galaxy movie Being two productions of this type, it does not make sense for Amazon to cancel this agreement a year earlier than expected. However, it seems that this mini streaming war has made Netflix emerge victorious again. And, since the streaming titan has a larger subscriber base than Prime Video, Universal movies will have more people to entertain than before.
This isn’t the only licensing deal Netflix has closed recently. Last Friday (January 16), Netflix renewed its global streaming rights deal for Sony Pictures films, which is believed to have cost $7 billion. Expect to see great films from the latter, such as The legend of Zelda movie and multiple Spider-Man movies will hit the platform in the coming years.
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