Bong Joon-ho’s multi-awarded “Parasite” made a killing at the box office after the South Korean film achieved a historic win in this year’s 92nd Film Academy Awards. The film also won the 92nd Film Academy Awards for “Best Director” (Bong Joon-ho), “Best Original Screenplay” (Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won) and “”Best International Feature.”
“Parasite” Performances Render Netflix’s Stance Against Hollywood’s Award Rules, Contentious
The Oscar award for best film and the stellar post-Oscar box-office performance comes as a blow to Netflix; making the streaming giant’s refusal to abide by the 90-day screening rule contentious. Despite “Parasite’s” availability for on-demand digital streaming at Amazon TV Prime and Apple’s iTunes, it did not stop moviegoers from flocking to theaters to find out why the non-English and foreign-produced movie is highly-acclaimed.
In the same week, Amazon TV Prime’s sales charts for their on-demand offer of digital streaming for “Parasite,’ as well as by way of DVD and Blu-Ray media, saw the film rising at the top.
Apparently, “Parasite” reflects the public’s enthusiasm and demand for high quality films regardless of how they want to view it; whether at theaters or in the privacy and comfort of their homes; or even both.
Netflix had previously stated that the company’s goal to win prestigious awards is not geared toward making a killing at the box office. The company is more interested in achieving subscription growth by providing quality content as soon as possible.
“Parasite” proved that even if a movie is available via streaming services, there is still a large population of viewers who find the cinema-screening experience quite enjoyable.
Neon, the New York-based American film distributor that acquired the rights to release “Parasite” in North America, from the 2018 American Film Market, is currently poised to expand the film’s showing in more than 2,000 locations across the U.S. As of this writing, “Parasite” has raked in as much as $44.3 million from the tills of North American theaters alone.
