Oscar next ambition for Netflix, which put Hollywood studios in the shade in 2019 by making more films than any of them

Netflix released nearly 60 English-language feature films in 2019, many of which have been critical hits such as The Irishman and Marriage Story

Major directors including Martin Scorsese and Noah Baumbach have turned to Netflix to get their movies made

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2019 was a big year for Netflix: the streaming giant truly became a movie studio, producing critical hits such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman. The Oscar nominations this month will be a gauge of its success. Photo: Netflix

Published: 6:00pm, 3 Jan 2020Updated: 6:00pm, 3 Jan 2020

Netflix has made its own movies for years, but 2019 may be remembered as the year it truly became a film studio.

The company began the year by joining the Motion Picture Association of America, the Hollywood trade group that represents movie studios. It went on to release nearly 60 English-language feature films over the course of 2019, including Oscar contenders The Irishman and Marriage Story.

With a slate that includes its first animated feature, Klaus, a Michael Bay action thriller and comedies like Eddie Murphy’s Dolemite Is My Name, Netflix has doubled or even tripled the output of Hollywood’s biggest studios. And for the first time, the company’s top executives are saying that movies will determine whether Netflix hits its financial targets for 2019.

“This [autumn] was a nice culmination,” Scott Stuber, Netflix’s film chief, says. “I’m very proud of this slate. I can look you in the eye and say we’ve made as good movies this fall as anybody.”

A still from Netflix’s Klaus. Photo: Netflix

Stuber, 51, joined Netflix in 2017 after more than two decades working in the film business – first as an executive and then a producer. Chief content officer Ted Sarandos asked Stuber to build a movie studio from scratch, one that would rival any in Hollywood.

Oscar next ambition for Netflix, which put Hollywood studios in the shade in 2019 by making more films than any of them

Netflix released nearly 60 English-language feature films in 2019, many of which have been critical hits such as The Irishman and Marriage Story Major directors including Martin Scorsese and Noah Baumbach have turned to Netflix to get their movies made

Netflix released nearly 60 English-language feature films in 2019, many of which have been critical hits such as The Irishman and Marriage Story

Major directors including Martin Scorsese and Noah Baumbach have turned to Netflix to get their movies made